The Burning Leaves: Hell's Fury
by ajd09
Summary: It has been two years after the conclusion of the Burning Leaves. Now officially adults, Yuuki and the others get a chance to reunite and prepare for the worst. However, tensions are rising between Hell's Phoenix, Guden Utsushi, and Konoha. Will there be peace, or war? Rating may be bumped up later in the story. Sequel to "The Burning Leaves."
1. Grand Reunion

_**The Burning Leaves: Hell's Fury**_

 _ **Disclamer: I do not own Naruto or any material related to the story of Naruto. Masashi Kishimoto/SHUSISHA Inc., Takashi Yano, and Masatoshi Kusakabe along with probably a couple others own the rights and produced the official material. Be sure to support them for their excellent work!**_

 **Before you start:**

This is part two of a fan-fiction. If you haven't read " _ **The Burning Leaves**_ " (by ajd09), this is probably not going to make too much sense...at all. Part one is a long read for some, but I really put a lot of time into it and there are just some things you can't figure out if you skip that much story. If you still want to read, go for it, I can't tell you how to live your life ;)

Thoughts are portrayed in italics, usually following context to let you know who is thinking it. That's how I like doing it. _I feel like I'm being redundant, but hopefully no one noticed._ "Hah! Definitely not being redundant, right friends?"

I'm rather excited to finally bring you this, as I love this fan-fic. However, don't feel afraid to drop some criticism here if you don't like something. If you want more behind-the-scenes or want to casually chat, you can find a link to a forum on my profile. I'd love to hear from everyone! Wait no longer! Please enjoy!

 **Chapter 1: Grand Reunion**

Yuuki jolted awake, rolling to the side. She gently inhaled before letting out a deep sigh. "Today's the day…" The woman jumped out of bed, getting properly clothed. She looked out the window, watching the clouds roll by. "I'm probably going to miss this place."

Another voice entered the room. "Then come back, obviously."

Yuuki turned her head to Lili with a stoic expression. "You know, it always seems like someone's just waiting for me to wake up so they can say something stupid." Yuuki rubbed her head. "You ready to go, Lili?"

She sighed, listing her hand to the side. "Another pointless tournament...we have nothing to gain by participating, you know?"

Yuuki grinned. "I figured you would say that. Don't be scared. It's even being held in a beautiful setting near the beaches." She put her hand in her hair. "Sure to be a lot of good-looking guys there."

Lili turned away sharply. "Whatever. Let's hurry up."

As they left, Darui and Samui cut them off. The Raikage went first. "You've been a great asset and a pleasure to teach, Akiko." He rubbed his head. "It's sure gonna be dull around here once you're gone."

Samui bowed politely. "I'm sure you understand you're always welcome to come back, right?"

Yuuki rubbed her head. "Sheesh, you two are weirding me out. I'll be back around all the time, don't worry about it."

Darui turned to Lili. "Be careful out there. It's been two years now. You know what that means."

Lili stuck a hand up, leaving. "obviously. We've been talking about it all week. Love you, bye."

Yuuki shook her head as she followed. "Some attitude you've got now. What happened to respecting your elders?"

She closed the door behind her. "I'm just tired of it. We're adults now. How stupid is it to be so over-protective like that?"

Yuuki walked over, poking her cheeks. "Oh? Is that why you're smiling right now?"

Lili grunted, swatting her away. "Cut it out, goof."

"HEEEEEEY!" Yuuki and Lili covered their ears, peeking out to see Datsu. He'd become tall, around six-foot, one inch. To top it off, he was all muscle contained in a build that garnered a lot of female attention around the village.

His smiling wave was cut off by a stern punch upside the head. "Idiot! You're going to make us deaf like that!" Inora pulled her fist back as the group recovered.

Lili shook her head. "You're just as loud as he is when you're worked up, you know?"

The girl waved her off, pointing towards the village gates. "I can't believe how fast time has gone by. This might be the last time I see these walls for a while."

Datsu kept in stride with Yuuki, crossing his arms behind his head with a grin. "It's pretty amazing how great other ninja villages are compared to the Rivers." Datsu and the group waved to others as they wished them luck. "We've gotten pretty popular here, haven't we?"

Yuuki rolled her eyes. "It's just called being courteous. We've done a lot of missions to help out, after all."

Lili crossed her arms in thought. "He's got a pretty good point though. Our group has gathered a lot of attention from everyone. The lightning is very hospitable to their ninjas, especially the stronger ones. I think their hoping some of you return to stay."

Inora smirked. "Are you sure you're not just going to be lonely without us?" Lili blushed, moving ahead of the group.

Yuuki nudged her. "Hey, don't tease her too much. You know how she gets."

Inora chuckled. "Sounds like you're considering moving up here after all."

The green eyed girl swiftly looked around. "Oh hey, looks like Hitomi and Hotaru actually got here first."

As a whole, the group still dawned their lightning apparel. Hitomi looked around the group with a smile. "I gotta say, you four really grew into yourselves. I never thought most of you would be eye-level with me." The Uchiha looked down to her left, smirking at Hotaru. "How does it feel to be the short one?"

Hotaru looked down. "You didn't have to bring up height in the first place." She clinched her fist with a few tears. "I haven't grown since I was fourteen!"

The group laughed before settling down. Hitomi stretched her arms. "Well, here's the situation: Hell's Phoenix has contacted Isami once more. Luna has guaranteed that no one will interfere with the coming tournament. She obviously couldn't speak for Guden's group, but I don't think he's prepared or willing to try something with all of us there."

Yuuki nodded her head, urging the group to continue on their way. "So, they're trying to make a big deal out of this or something?"

Hotaru tilted her head. "Makes sense. No Chunin exam was as well received as yours. I'd venture to say only the finale of Isami vs. Hitomi garnered as much attention." The girl covered her mouth at the mention of his name.

Hitomi lifted her hand with a feint smile. "It's ok. I'll get to see him in no time. I hope he hasn't gotten out of hand again." She put her finger on her mouth. "I wonder if he's changed at all?"

Yuuki waved her hand. "Don't worry about him. He'll do what he wants, but he's got SOME rules he gives himself. I'm just wondering if they've become even stronger."

Lili put her hands on her hips. "They better have. I didn't get a chance to fight in the last tournament, so they better not bore me."

Inora rubbed the back of her head. "Even if you say that, we've been on so many missions lately that practice has become a back-burner project."

Datsu pumped his fist. "That's right! What I wouldn't give to go all out in training once more!"

Hitomi rolled her eyes. "Welcome to the world of a Jonin."

Yuuki grimaced. "Ever since the new 'High Jonin' rank, things have been even worse." Hitomi and Yuuki exchanged tales once more as Datsu and Lili deflated.

Inora poked her head over. "What'd you two expect? They've got such monstrous potential that we'd have to have twenty-four more hours a day to match up."

Datsu pumped his fist once more. "Even if you say that, I refuse to lose to anyone in the coming fights!"

Lili shifted her eyes around. "Uh, say…Is Isami going to fight to?"

Hitomi looked back with a confused look. "Huh? Of course he is. People are really looking forward to it."

Lili and Datsu deflated once more. Hotaru tapped her chin. "Might as well let the Kage participate in it."

Before they knew it, they had already gotten to the border of the Land of Lightning. Yuuki pulled back, noticing three familiar people with her byakugan. "Hey, let's head over that way."

OoOo

"Hey, you three!" Ryoku jolted in shock, throwing up a hand to signal his group that it was ok. Yuuki and the group appeared alongside them in pace. "Long time no see, huh?"

Ryoku grinned wide. "Wow, all of you look so different. It's always a pleasure! Where are you all headed?"

She pointed down the same direction they were traveling. "There's a pretty grand tournament going on down south. Lot of good fighters are going to be there. You should come if you aren't busy."

Yuuhi became unnerved. "You mean all of you are going to? That's where we're headed!"

Yuuki's eyes opened wide before grinning. "You all are still in Hell's Phoenix, right? How's that been?"

Kokuten piped up, still annoyed sounding. "It's fine. Just a lot of missions and training." He narrowed his eyes. "I've heard around that you guys have been doing some high level missions recently. What are your ranks?"

Yuuki looked around the group before looking back. "We're all Jonin, but Hitomi and I are High Jonin. Some formality title or something. If you ask me, it's just an excuse to drop more work on us."

The group's eyes grew wider. "Y-you don't say?" Ryoku scratched his head nervously. He sheepishly looked over to her. "You don't mind if we tag along to the tournament, do you Akiko?"

Yuuki looked over her group once more before giving a thumbs up. "Works for me. I'm actually named Yuuki by the way. By now, I'm sure the One for Words is losing his mind."

-Outside the Sand-

"Come on, hurry it up people!" Isami urged his group to move quicker. Takeshi, Tegun, and Nagi moved quicker to match his pace. Isami grinned, putting his thumb up. "Asumaru's group can't be allowed to get there before us!"

"So it's a race then? That fires me all up!" Tegun pushed his pace even faster, making everyone else catch up.

Nagi sweat nervously. "But, there's no way they would beat us there. We're the four fastest of the group that went to Suna.

Takeshi smirked. "Isami is only like this because he wants to see Yuuki and Hitomi again. I'm sure of it."

Takeshi had become tall, reaching almost six foot. Isami stayed around six foot two inches, but most of the guys in the group averaged at around five-foot ten inches. Takeshi's hair had maintained its short-cut style, which Tegun also went with, but Nagi had allowed his hair to grow out to his shoulders. Isami's big change was opting for a medium length that was around four inches at its longest.

Isami turned back. "I know you're all just as excited. But remember, a lot can change in two years."

Takeshi grinned. "You're right; Hitomi probably got fat, Shikamira's probably gotten up-tight and unapproachable, and I'm sure Lili's already in a pre-arranged marriage."

Tegun face-palmed. "Who even does per-arranged marriage anymore?"

The other men among him had shot a piercing stare through the Uchiha, making him laugh nervously. Nagi smirked himself. "Maybe. Maybe Yuuki's become a bombshell and gotten in with the wrong crowd."

Takeshi's face straightened as Isami laughed. "That would be classic!"

Takeshi grunted. "That's your sister, you know?"

OoOo

The other group ran in silence. Nezero looked around, seeing intense focus on everyone's face. The red-head rubbed his hair vigorously. "You guys are so boring!" This yielded no response from them, making the boy give up in defeat.

-Konoha Apartments-

Shikamira tapped her fingers as she finished cooking breakfast. Knowing that there was no sign of life, she finally gave up and made her rounds. She slammed the door open. "Tsumi, Kobi! When are you planning on waking up? You know today is more important than the others!"

Tsumi rolled over as Kobi covered his eyes. "Come on, don't be like that. It's not like we're going to be late or anything…" His nose twitched slightly. "Those eggs smell over-medium..."

Tsumi groaned, getting out of bed with only her underwear on. "Alright already, I'm up."

Shikamira blushed slightly, watching them lackadaisically getting there stuff around. "You two have no shame, huh?"

Tsumi looked over to her with a confused look. "Aren't you the one watching? You're always the one watching."

Shikamira said nothing, closing the door. _Those two…_ She moved on to Kochi's room with a sigh. She knocked as she opened the door. "Hey, get some food." She stopped, seeing both Kochi and Nia buck naked after a shower.

Nia covered herself up. "You're supposed to knock and then enter! It's not even what it looks like!"

Shikamira scratched her head. "I forgot you were in town. Either of you want toast?"

Kochi raised her hand. "I'll take two slices." She rubbed her chin. "You know, Kobi really is a stickler about eggs being over-easy."

Shikamira sighed. "He'll get over it. Get dressed already." She closed the door.

Nia turned to her. "She really should have reacted more than that. Why did she just carry on a conversation?"

Kochi rubbed her chin. "I guess she's just used to stuff like this by now. We're not really what I would call, 'model ninja' after all."

OoOo

Kobi picked at his eggs, examining them carefully. "That's odd..." He took a small bite, chewing with care. Afterward, he grinned. "Should have figured."

Shikamira lifted her head in pride. "It's not easy to make over-easy eggs smell over-medium. Not that there's a significant scent difference or anything. It took me a lot of research to find the proper method."

Tsumi rubbed her head. "Isn't it a little unnecessary of a joke? How much effort did you put in that?"

Shikamira began drinking her orange juice. "Don't underestimate my ability. I AM a Jonin, after all."

Kobi waved her off. "There you go again. You know, rank isn't all that important. It's about your internal confidence in my opinion."

Kochi snickered. "You two just put it off to keep your responsibilities down, didn't you?"

Tsumi laughed nervously. "Say what you will, but it's given us more time for training."

Nia finished her small portion, crossing her arms. "Which is it? Training or going out all the time? I've heard how you operate."

Kobi shrugged his shoulders. "You make it sound shady. It's not as if you three don't come here on your days off anyways. Isn't it more effort to come here all the time just to hang out?"

Kochi laughed hesitantly. "You make it sound like they're the ones doing shady things."

Tsumi rubbed her chin. "I feel bad having Karui and Zente rent a hotel for the nights they visit though..."

Kobi finished his food with a satisfied expression. "It can't be helped. I mean, unless Shikamira gave up her tiny room for them to crash." Kobi scratched his cheek. "Maybe we oughta look into bigger housing. We could totally make a bed and breakfast business at this rate."

Shikamira crossed her arms, talking quietly. "I like my tiny room." Her volume returned to normal, with a hint of annoyance. "And just who do you think is going to do the 'breakfast' portion of that?" Shikamira sighed, shaking her thoughts as the others laughed. She tapped her fingers. "So anyways, you two assume you'll be made Jonin after this tournament?"

Kobi looked at her confused. "Well...yeah. Why wouldn't we?"

Tsumi grunted, leaning back. "Dad's been harassing me for a while now. I know he's just looking for an excuse."

Nia lifted an eyebrow. "Do you honestly think you two are ready for it? I haven't seen what you can do."

Kochi nodded her head. "I don't think any of us have." She now tilted her head. "Just what have you been up to? Were you really been training on your days off?"

Tsumi winked with a smirk. "Maybe, maybe not. You'll just have to wait and see."

Shikamira rubbed her chin, looking between the two. _They..._ _don't seem to be_ _bluffing_ _._ The woman smirked, looking out the window. "I wonder how strong she's become."

Tsumi smiled brightly. "If I know her, she's in a different league."

Nia shook her head. "I don't know the details either, but only four people, including me, have been promoted to High Jonin...and she's one of them."

Kobi rubbed his nose. "Well, at least this will be worth our time then."

Shikamira pulled back once more. _What have they been doing all this time to be so confident?_

Nia looked around. "By the way, where's Ripper?"

Kobi snickered. "Ripper does his own thing. He's not much of a combat dog, but hell if he's not the best tracker out there..."

Kochi laughed. "Ripper's always busy on scouting missions. He's technically his own Jonin. He almost makes me regret not having a ninja dog of my own!"

Nia's eyes widened. "You let your own dog beat you to Jonin?"

Tsumi answered for him. "Ripper is really smart. He practically operates like he's his own man."

Kobi clinched his fist with a grin. "Every time he stops by for a visit, he's got a great story to tell! I'm proud of my old partner."

Nia looked away with a smile. "I guess I never really considered how independent a dog can be." Her eyes drifted to the clock, panicking at the time. "We're twenty minutes late! How could I be so careless?"

The rest of the group shrugged. Kobi waved her off. "I'm sure Zente and Karui are fine. Don't worry so much."

-Konoha gates-

Zente leaned against a nearby tree as Karui scanned vigorously. "Jeez. Even though we got here fifteen minutes late, they're late again."

Zente sighed deeply. "Nothing new. Cut em' some slack. It's harder for five people to get ready than two."

Karui popped up in his face, poking his chest. Zente startled slightly. "I've been waiting for a tournament like this! Even if I lose in the first round, there are rumored to be a ton of strong fighters!"

Zente smirked, looking away. "Even as far as we've gotten, I doubt we'll be able to keep up with Nia and Kochi. Those two have really stepped up their game."

Karui puffed her cheeks. "Party pooper." Zente looked to her now. He lifted his hands, pressing the air out of her cheeks. The noise made him laugh. Karui clenched her hands in annoyance. "Hey! I'm trying to get ready to make them feel bad for being late!" The girl grabbed at him, making them laugh as either one struggled to get an advantage.

"Ehem!" The two froze, seeing Nia and the group. The woman tapped her foot. "Play around on your own time. We're going to be late at this rate." They began to walk away.

Zente and Karui looked at each other blankly. They swiftly pointed and shouted in unison. "That's our line!"

OoOo

Akano prepped himself a final time before turning to his group. "Are we all set?"

Shitto lifted his hand non-chalantly. "Sure. I'm eager to see how far the others have come."

Chojiko clinched his fist with a stern head nod. "We may not have had shadow clones or fancy training methods, but I'm sure we can compete!"

Kaito lifted his two swords, fastening them on his back. "You've all come a long way. Whatever happens, I'm sure they'll be surprised."

Akano closed his eyes with a smirk, but eventually covered his face. "But I've only just made it to Tokubetsu...everyone else is still Chunin!"

They're heads sank slightly. Shitto put a hand on his shoulder. "We're better off than we were two years ago. All we can do is show them what we're made of."

Kaito nodded. "They might be surprised. Besides, moving up is harder in a smaller village like this."

Chojiko pumped his fist. "No matter what, I'm not going down in the first round this time!"

Akano looked over his group with a smirk. "Let's not jynx anything now." He pointed his fist out to the south. "Tournament bound, let's move. Remember, we're close to that date." _Just wait, Datsu. I'll show you what a river ninja trained on home turf can do!_

-Konoha-

Hinata hugged in close to Naruto, watching her daughter take off. "They've grown so fast."

Naruto smirked, putting his arm around her. "I'm just glad these two years have passed without issues. We've had to worry a lot, with our children leaving the house all at once." He gave her a soft kiss on her forehead, still watching in the distance. "Don't worry over it too much. Sasuke and I are going to watch over them with shadow clones."

Kiba appeared from the distance, along with Shikamaru. "Perimeter's clear. Did they take off already?" Kiba put his hand to his face to mask the sun. "They've gotten pretty strong, haven't they?"

Shikamaru nodded his head. "They're going to be in there prime soon. I'm itching to see how the fights unfold."

Kiba put his hands behind his head. "I hope they can get passed the first round at least. My family has never been very successful in tournaments."

Shikamaru smirked. "I can't speak for everyone, but I have a hunch Kobi and Tsumi will do well."

Kiba tilted his head with a confused look. "What, you mean the two that haven't made Jonin yet? If they didn't bother to go through with that, what makes you think they'll go far?"

Naruto shook his head. "You might not know, but Kobi and Tsumi have been actively using Isami's library and training area. Shikamaru has seen them a lot." Naruto tilted his head. "Don't you ever ask about what he's doing?"

Kiba laughed nervously. "That's not really my style. Kobi and Kochi are more interested in having a good meal and a great story. They dodge the questions when I ask how training is going."

Sasuke showed up, planting a foot against a nearby wall. "Not just that, but..." He closed his eyes with a smirk. "Never mind. You'll have to wait and see it for yourself."

Hinata chuckled. "At least we've got a way to cheer from the background now. It'll be great to see the replays soon after the fights conclude!"

Naruto crossed his arms. "That doesn't mean anyone can slack off now. We have to remain vigilant."

Kiba waved him off. "You're just confident Isami's going to win it all, aren't you?"

Naruto laughed, rubbing his nose. "If I know Isami, he's probably just going to drop out."

Sasuke shook his head with an annoyed face. "That's exactly something he would do..."

The group of parents let out a fair bit of laughter before heading back to the village.

-Reunion in the Sun-

Takeshi and Tegun kicked back, propping their feet up on the resort beach. Tegun leaned over with a smirk. "This is the kind of sand I'd rather see, eh?"

The Uchiha rested peacefully. "No kidding. Suna was great and all, but you can't beat this."

Isami tapped his fingers, sipping a drink. "Still, to think we'd be the first to arrive. Nia and Tsumi should have beaten us here..."

Nagi pointed over his shoulder. "Don't get too upset, Nezero is coming."

"Yoooo! How could we lose!" Nezero paced around, looking between the four. He crossed his arms, tapping his foot. "We need a rematch!"

Takeshi rubbed his head. "Nezero, you know your slower than all of us. Why even bother?"

Vin looked around, seeing flowing waves and a beautiful beach. "Hmm..."

Kankiri wrapped an arm around him. "Pretty."

Asumaru sat next to Isami, grabbing a drink himself. "You guys slowed down a bit, didn't you?"

Isami smirked. "Come on now, what's the point in me getting here first and drinking too much?" He jolted, looking over to Takeshi. "That's right, I keep forgetting you're old enough. Want one on me?"

Takeshi lifted his hand. "No thanks, man. We're still supposed to have a tournament at noon, you know?"

The rest agreed, making the two older ninja shrug. "More for us." Isami snickered at his thoughts. "It just would be priceless for Hitomi to see you stumbling around when she gets here."

Nagi focused intently. "Looks like it'll be another hour before Hitomi's group arrives."

Isami nodded, sticking his thumb up. "You've gotten much better at using the byakugan Nagi!" Isami checked himself, quickly relaxing. "We should be noticing Akano's group, Nia's group, and then Hitomi's group last."

Akano sweated, hearing the man. "Noticing us? We've been here since you started talking..."

Takeshi looked over to the guys, jumping up in response. "Ah, my bad!" He carefully looked over them. "You guys look great! I hardly recognize Chojiko!"

As Takeshi shook Akano's hand, Chojiko rubbed his nose. "I could say the same to you all. You all look great." He nodded his head. "And tan. Must have been baking in the sand."

Shitto rubbed his eyes. "They grew up so fast..."

Takeshi busted out a chuckle, looking back over them. "You've definitely improved your social skills to. I'm glad to see you've all been training your best."

Isami rubbed his head with a laugh. "Sorry I couldn't break off to help you all train, but I think you did well on your own."

Nagi nodded his head to them. "From the few months I spent with them, I could tell they'd become strong." Nagi put a hand on Shitto and Chojiko's shoulders. "Sorry I had to leave with these guys, but I needed someone to help my combat style that knew the byakugan."

Kaito sat down with a large drink, unfastening his blades. "We're all fully capable in our own right. Win or lose, the battles should be far better this time around." The samurai began drinking a healthy amount.

Takeshi felt sweat run down his back. "I guess we're not all going to be sober for the first round, huh?"

Akano waved his hand. "Don't mind him. He seems to fight better when he's been drinking anyways."

Takeshi rubbed his head. "Better, huh? You don't say..." The Uchiha laughed nervously.

oOoOo

The conversations flew between the group as Isami and Takeshi sat around patiently. Isami rubbed his nose. "I gotta say, you've all really exceeded my expectations."

Takeshi shrugged his shoulders. "You know, you did help us all. I'm not sure it'll be so easy for any of the other groups to win."

Isami laughed loudly, rubbing tears away. Takeshi turned to him annoyed. "Yeah...right." Isami turned to him with a smirk. "Don't get too confident there, hotshot. And remember, sometimes it's better to concede than feel the pressure to prove yourself."

Takeshi crossed his arms, closing his eyes. "Yeah, I should have known. Yuuki and Tsumi aren't people I should expect to have slacked off."

Takeshi felt his head get knocked forward, making him shoot a mean look to the subject. Kobi stood tall with a smirk. "Come on now, sometimes cutting yourself some slack is a good thing."

Takeshi's jaw dropped seeing Kobi's look. His eyes drifted over Tsumi and Shikamira, who looked fantastic. "W-Woah, you three look totally different!" Takeshi jumped up, pounding his old friends fist. "Damn, I'd almost have assumed there was a photo shoot going on!"

Kobi laughed as Tsumi approached. She handed him a drink as he wrapped an arm around her. "Easy there, I'm straight. This girl's the best thing that ever happened to me."

Takeshi looked over them carefully, pointing with his jaw agape. "You two actually hooked up?"

Tsumi narrowed an eye. "Why so surprised?"

Takeshi's eyes scanned around, seeing Nia and Kochi chatting solo around the beach and noticing Zente and Karui chatting with a smile to Akano. The Uchiha rubbed his head. "Man, I guess you've all been...busy." He paused, watching Shikamira walk over to Asumaru with two drinks in her hand. Takeshi pointed in confusion. "Uhh..."

Kobi waved him off with a laugh, regaining his attention. "Don't worry, everyone's been busy. Tell you what, I don't think there's another person out there that can beat Shikamira in a battle of wits anymore."

Takeshi grinned, happy to see his friends so chipper. He looked back to the two. "So, who all made it to Jonin?"

Kobi waved him off yet again. "Come on, rank doesn't matter." Takeshi pulled back slightly as Kobi pointed. "Shikamira and the others bothered to move up, but Tsumi and I stayed back as Chunin." He winked at Takeshi's shock. "That gave us more time to train and help out in the village."

The Uchiha bit his thumb. "Damn. You're confidence is something else now." Takeshi smirked once more. "You'll need more than that to win here though! I'm certain I can take any Jonin and under."

Kobi patted him on the shoulder with a grin. "Well, I suppose we'll find out soon enough, man."

OoOo

Asumaru busted out laughing, getting others' attention. "Over-easy eggs with an over-medium smell. Priceless."

Shikamira grinned, getting near the end of her drink. "It's been pretty quiet along your front lately, hasn't it?" Asumaru rubbed his head.

Nagi interrupted, sitting at the table while observing the woman. _Damn, she's lost that intensely abrasive aura._ The Hyuuga cleared his throat. "After the Savage incident, we've been in some tense border disputes and been in conflict with rouge members." He waved it off. "They were nothing special though."

Shikamira leaned in with a smirk. "Oh? You've let your hair grow out a little more. You look nice."

Nagi blushed, rubbing his head. "R-right, you look great to. I really almost didn't recognize you."

Asumaru sighed. "Kochi rubbed off on your group, didn't she?"

Shikamira finished her drink with a grin. "Maybe a little, but that's to be expected among roommates, right?"

Asumaru sighed heavier, hearing the word 'roommate'. "Don't bother telling me all the details."

Nagi frantically looked between the two. Shikamira crossed her arms. "It's not like I've been going crazy or anything. I've got a small room and that's all I need."

Asumaru rubbed his head. "But it's free to live with our parents. Not to mention, it's a lot more peaceful." He judged her expression before looking up to the clouds. "Never mind. It's not like it's my business."

Nagi looked back to Shikamira, who looked out over the beach. He smiled, sitting back. "This is a hell of a place to hold a tournament. I wonder who will win?"

Shikamira shrugged, leaning against the table. "It doesn't matter in the end. We've all really improved. This is going to be likened to a 'proof of power' kind of deal anyways."

Nagi pulled back before sighing in relaxation. "So you are the same, huh?" He looked out to the rolling waves. "Honestly, I'm looking forward to seeing what everyone can do, but I have a completely different vibe than I did at the Chunin exams."

Shikamira looked over to him with a smirk. "Good to hear. I can tell just from looking that it'll be hard to win any fight. Everyone has come a long way." Nagi smirked with her. Asumaru rubbed his head, taking his leave.

-Outside of the resort-

Yuuki rubbed her head. "Looks like we're the last to arrive."

Ryoku panted, stretching his legs. "How do you know that your group is over there?"

Hitomi pointed in a lethargic expression. "That banner reads 'Super secret awesome group reunion.' There's only one idiot who would call it something like that."

Kokuten waved his hand. "Well, we're going to check out the area. I'm sure you have a lot of catching up to do."

Yuuhi gave them a salute. "I look forward to seeing everyone's skills!"

Hitomi waved them off, sweating at the man that stood nearby. He muttered to himself in thought. She nudged Hotaru.

The woman walked over and leaned against his shoulder. "Trying to figure out how to approach the group safely?"

Hoshido closed his eyes, rubbing his head. "Not quite. I've been waiting for you guys, trying to think of what to say." The man blushed, looking away. "I've missed you, Hotaru."

The woman pulled back with a blush. "My, you've gone through a bit of a change, haven't you? Not fumbling over doomsday scenarios and caring about family..."

The lightning nin rubbed his chin in thought. "I wonder..."

Meanwhile, Yuuki and Lili watched as Hitomi ambushed Isami with an aggressive hug. Inora nudged Datsu, pointing towards Akano's group. "How about we check up on them first?"

Datsu pushed her forehead with a smirk. "Way ahead of you!"

As Yuuki stepped into the area, silence swept over and eyes turned. Yuuki leaned over to Lili. "They don't realize how awkward that makes me feel."

Lili rolled her eyes, whispering back. "Say something, obviously."

Yuuki sighed, putting on a grin. "Sorry we're late! We picked a few hitchhikers on the way."

Her response garnered a few snickers and eventually everyone returned to their conversations. Takeshi stared from the table he sat at with Kobi and Tsumi. Tsumi's face beamed up. "Would you get a look at her! Taller, fairer skin, and she's well put together."

Takeshi signaled her to keep it down. "Come on now, she's probably getting enough attention."

Kobi held a glint of a smile, letting out a sharp whistle. Most everyone's head turned. "Oi, Yuuki! We've got a few seats over here!"

Tegun stood, walking to the side. "Sorry guys, I'm going to see if I can't chat privately."

Lili saw Tegun and blushed. She grabbed Yuuki's arm. "What should I do? Tegun is walking away. What if he wants me? I can't deal with that!"

Yuuki looked to her with an annoyed face. "Go talk to him, obviously." She turned back, waving to the group. "Aren't you three a sight for sore eyes!" Yuuki took off, leaving Lili to make her own decision.

-Team Seven-

Yuuki sat back and relaxed. "Ugh, I feel like it's been forever since I just sat back." She looked back over to her sister and Kobi. "I never thought I'd say it, but you two look like an amazing couple."

Kobi waved her off, wrapping his hand around Tsumi. "Enough about us already. You made High Jonin I've heard!"

Yuuki shrugged her arms aside. "It's not like I was trying, or even willing. Darui-san just insisted it be so."

Takeshi crossed his arms. "First name basis with the Raikage, huh?"

Yuuki grinned, looking back over Takeshi's features. "You've grown into quite the man yourself, huh?" She looked around before leaning in. "Did you meet any good girls?"

Takeshi grimaced, looking down. "No one my type." He laughed nervously. "Honestly, I'm pretty hopeless as far as that's concerned."

Kobi punched him in the arm. "Talk like that and you'll start pushing the women away!" Kobi looked back to her. "And you? Any one catch your eye?"

Yuuki blushed faintly, shifting her eyes slightly. "Well, maybe a little, but that's not important. We've got too much to worry about. Everyone's been really busy."

Tsumi shook her head, pointing her thumb down. "Boring! You're both boring!"

Yuuki took a second look, seeing a few empty drinks on the table. "Wow, you're drinking before the fight?"

Kobi winked, rubbing his head. "Busted. Don't worry, this is nothing to us."

Yuuki crossed her arms, looking at Tsumi. "And how would you know that, huh Tsumi? You've been drinking for a while, haven't you?"

Tsumi looked away sheepishly. "Well...We might have started dabbing into it a few days after you left." Takeshi pulled back and Yuuki shook her head.

"You'll end up like dad at that rate." Yuuki tapped her finger. "Honestly, you know how I felt about that." Tsumi lowered her head, laughing quietly. Lili and Tegun rejoined the group with a happier demeanor. Lili slid her a drink, which Yuuki accepted. "But that was then. I might even try to catch up with you at this rate."

Takeshi and Tsumi's jaws dropped. Tsumi recovered. "How unexpected. I thought you'd be a stiff like Takeshi."

Kobi laughed, seeing his friends helpless expression. "Hey, you might as well join the club. One drink's not gonna kill you."

Takeshi sighed. "I guess it can't be helped." He crossed his arms with a stern face. "But seriously, we are having a high-level, serious tournament, you know? There's probably a lot of profitability and show of force potential here."

Yuuki shoved the rest of her drink into his mouth. "Everyone's aware of that!"

The Uchiha coughed slightly, making the group laugh. Takeshi took some time to sulk. _Why does no one seem to like my straight-forward, honest traits?_

OoOo

Inora clapped her hands in excitement. "Oh. My. God. Chojiko, you look like a respectable man now! I'm so happy for you!"

The said person laughed nervously. "It wasn't easy to kick my eating habits, but now I don't even look back on it." He smiled confidently. "Once I ate healthy, I had a lot more energy and stamina to train harder than ever!"

Inora nodded enthusiastically. "See? See? I told you."

Chojiko looked over her shoulder, noticing Datsu laughing with his old friends. He leaned in. "So, are you two dating?"

Inora pulled back, looking between the two before laughing. "What, with that buffoon? Not a chance. I'm still single. I was serious, he's like a second, annoying sibling."

Chojiko tilted his head. "So, you two really did form something like the bond we have, huh?"

Inora reached out, rubbing his head. "Don't worry, you're still my only _real_ brother." She pulled back, crossing her arms. "I swear, if it weren't for Datsu scaring off every guy I met, I would have had something special by now." She jolted, looking back over the group before leaning in. "He has a thing for Yuuki I've heard. Could you imagine?"

Chojiko laughed shaking his head. "Sis, you haven't changed at all. It's really refreshing actually."

OoOo

Datsu sat back with Kaito and Akano. "Seriously though, I can see your strength with one look! Trust me, they'll end up making you Jonin soon enough."

Akano smiled with his words. "You've become a bit more tolerable, huh?" Datsu laughed, taking another drink. Akano shook his head. "Just looking around, I can tell I won't get to the finals. However, I'm pretty proud of everyone's efforts." Akano shifted his eyes to Datsu. "I'm really hoping the two of us get to fight."

Kaito put his drink down with a slightly off-putting laugh. "I'd pay to see that. I can tell just from looking Datsu would win."

Datsu waved him off. "Either way, we're all going to have a spar, alright? I can't wait to see what you guys can do."

Akano bowed his head with a chuckle. "I already know you'd win, but that makes me more eager to fight. I am a river ninja after all."

"heh." Datsu rubbed his nose, somewhat lost in thought.

-Afternoon-

Isami glanced over in shock, seeing his father, Sasuke, Konohamaru, and Kiba. He jumped up, running over. "Hey, long time no see, pops!"

Naruto looked over Isami and the group, baffled by how much they'd changed. Naruto rubbed his head. "Wish we could all be here for real. You've done an excellent job, my son!"

Isami snickered. "Are we going to determine the first round order or something?"

Kiba shook his head, giving a wink. "Shikamaru and Shikamira have been busy adjusting their stat cards. This time, no one's going to know how they stack up until they're defeated. It's great, I don't have any responsibility this time around!"

Sasuke smirked, seeing Takeshi and Hitomi enjoying themselves. "To think that Uchihas and Uzumakis aren't the only powerful ones now..." The man shook his head. "Let's gather this group up. We'll deal with the stragglers in person."

Konohamaru couldn't help but smile, looking over his old team. "They're all grown up now. I guess I shouldn't be surprised." Konohamaru looked around. "Hmm...I guess she's still getting ready."

-Tournament Area-

Yuuki looked over the terrace down into the arena. "This is a good size coliseum, huh? It's way more than I expected." She glanced around once more. "We're close from this angle, but the stands sure carry."

Isami nodded, leaning over the railing himself. "We haven't had a chance to talk" He carried himself as though he was feeling guilt. "...about your appearance..."

Yuuki focused her gaze forward, flicking his forehead with her right hand. "How many times do I have to tell you to get over it? I'm fine; couldn't be better." Yuuki turned, giving him a grin. "You really didn't change much at all, did you? Just shorter hair, huh?"

Isami grinned back, pushing himself off the railing. "Yeah. Honestly, you and Tsumi really blossomed. Even though you're so much like Dad and Lili, there's no denying you two have mom's genes."

Yuuki blushed, looking up to the sky. "That's a relief to hear honestly." Yuuki closed her eyes in thought.

Isami rubbed his chin. "I wonder...some fighters have yet to reveal themselves."

Yuuki spun around, leaning against the post. This was a good time to talk business, since no one was in the area. "This is a big deal. Who's monitoring the area while this tournament is going on?"

Isami crossed his arms. "Well, you might not like the answer. I pulled in a favor from Luna, since there are also members of Hell's Phoenix here. She's in the area, along with a few others."

Yuuki focused on his lax demeanor. "I've heard all the details of what happened between you two. That being said, it'd be a pain for them to start something with us and know how all of us operate."

Isami closed his eyes, understanding her concern. "They've agreed to the condition of not being allowed to watch or analyze our fights. Only the accounts of Ryoku's group are what they'll have to go by."

Yuuki sighed, nodding her head. "Alright. I'm not too concerned about them anymore anyways." She bit her thumb. "There's only three mystery people left for the tournament."

Isami scratched his head. "Two of them are from Konoha, but the third declined to state where he was from."

Yuuki stared to the floor in thought. "Once we figure them out, I'll be keeping an eye on them."

Isami waved his hands to the side. "I knew you would, but don't forget to relax a bit, alright? It's not likely they will pose any kind of real threat."

Yuuki nodded with a smile. "You're right. Let's get back. They're probably going to decide the first match soon."

-Tournament hall-

Naruto grabbed everyone's attention. "Alright everyone, settle down." A quick silence swept in. He cleared his throat. "As you're aware, there are three others that aren't ready yet, so hopefully we'll be able to buy them some time with this." Shikamaru grabbed a small device tapping a few times to get a rapid flashing pair of random names. Takeshi and Hitomi squinted, making the Nara smirk. Naruto continued. "Don't bother trying to read the names. Their scrambled...or something." He turned to Shikamaru, who nodded.

As he pressed the button, a pair of names came up. Shikamaru read them out. "Looks like our first fight will be Nara Asumaru VS. Zente." The two men looked between each other with marginal words to share. Shikamaru continued. "After this fight, all combatants will be required to respond to the next match within one minute. You'll all be given a number to remember, that is irrelevant to rank or skill. When your number appears, just get to the center." He sighed, rubbing his head. "Obviously, this only applies to the first round. You're allowed to share your number, but there's no fun in that."

Naruto looked over the group. "Any questions?"

Shikamira shook her head, lifting her hand to her forehead. "It's already a scrambled name selecting system. Why not just have it show the person's name? It's more relatable to the crowd that way and eliminates the potential for number sharing."

The chatter agreed as Naruto shrugged at Shikamaru. The Nara let out a sweat as he responded. "I guess that simplifies things more." _Damn. I was over-complicating things again._ He cleared his throat. "Regardless, if your name shows, you must respond in one minute."

The room remained silent, making Naruto nod in excitement. "Alright everyone, do your best and have fun. You're all wiser now. If you know you can't win, don't feel bad about forfeiting or surrendering." He raised his hand. "We're going to start in one hour! Good luck!"

-End-

-A/N-

Yup...I'm kicking this puppy off with a tournament. I want to establish an idea of what everyone can do because I like people being able to speculate how certain events might go. If there are things I critically missed, please, let me know! I am active in editing and revising my work, so long as it doesn't take away from what I wrote. (You know, grammar and such.)

I'm moving the schedule to every Friday (Early AM for Eastern Time Zone). Thank you for reading!


	2. So It Begins

-A/N-

ding ding ding! It's Friday Fight Night! You're in for more fights this time around (total of 31). However, some of these fights will not last long. We're going to jump right into it, ending with a touch of plot progression.

Chapter 2: So It Begins

A large crowd cheered as the combatants comfortably sat in the terrace that had plenty of room to spare. They glanced around once more, seeing camera's zip around and project their images all over various screens. Over head, a deep voice came over the arena. "Ladies and Gentlemen, we are gathered around this beautiful scenic area today not to catch a wave or get a tan, but to watch some of the best ninja around display their skills in combat!" The crowd roared, rumbling over the area. He continued. "This is a rare opportunity folks! In all my years, I've never seen the competition level so high! For those few of you who aren't savvy in ninja combat, we'll do our best to help break down the fights. However, with the competition the way it is, I'd say there will be some things best left to the imagination!"

The thunderous clap of the crowd grew as Asumaru and Zente met in the middle. Zente grinned, crossing his arms. "I haven't seen you fight, but if you're anything like your sister, this'll be a handful. Let's not get carried away, right?"

Asumaru lifted out a cigarette and lit it up with a smile. "You're my kind of opponent. Not too lax, not too eager. We'll see what you can do."

The commentator looked nervously between the two before lifting his hand from a safe zone. "Alright, without further ado, let the match begin!"

-Round One: Easy now-

Both Asumaru and Zente closed in, letting loose with a taijutsu match. Zente focused on straight jabs and ducking to get in close, but the Nara was well versed himself. Asumaru checked his advance using his elbows. Zente smirked, ducking a right hook in and forcing the Nara to roll to the left of Zente. With a clean spin, Zente managed to catch Asumaru in the gut with an elbow. Before Zente knew it, both his body and Asumaru's flipped back to gain distance before he regained control.

Asumaru stretched, equipping his trench knives. "You fight well up close. I'd say I could beat you in that regard, but I'm not gonna get one-deminsional here." Asumaru clacked his weapons together with a smirk. "Let's see how you perform."

Zente shook his head. "You could gauge my skills that quickly, huh?" Zente swiveled his brass knuckles onto his left hand and drew his large hunting knife reversed in his right hand. "I guess I shouldn't get cocky with a lucky hit."

The two of them stared, analyzing each other. _So, he keeps his blade-_ _length_ _on the shorter side. Likely uses some ninjutsu as a surprise tactic. The shadow bind technique won't help me with much unless it's forcing a gain in distance._ Asumaru dipped slightly, keeping his blades at the ready. _He's probably more skilled than me at kenjutsu._

Zente closed the gap swiftly. To surprise Asumaru, he used a wild crossing uppercut with his left hand. The Nara dipped back, moving his arms to the right. On cue, a ting of his trench blades indicated a collision with metal. However, the spinning attack from Zente was a kunai. Asumaru calmed himself, jumping back. Zente's knife fell from above. Asumaru parried the incoming kunai as Zente caught and tossed his weapons subtly. "Suiton: Teppoudama!"

The Nara leaped in the air, finishing his own jutsu. "Hibarishi!" A dense flame began to spew, flying around in complicated patterns Zente hadn't seen before. He switched his weapon hands, dancing around the attack carefully. _This_ _jutsu_ _is usually a ring shape for entrapment. He's trying to make me move more so he can close in safely._ Zente smirked. "Not today!" The man pushed himself through the flames, shocking Asumaru as he took a strong blast from the brass knuckles to the cheek. As the Nara went to the ground, Zente's body froze. He looked around. "Damn, this again, huh?"

Asumaru rose, laughing heartily. "Thanks for holding back on that one. Tell you what, that coulda broke my jaw." The Nara raised his hand with a smirk. "We're pretty much an even match, but I'd rather not fight for thirty minutes. I give."

Zente pulled back in shock as his body relaxed. "Seriously? I'm sure you'd end up winning..."

Asumaru shrugged his shoulders with a smirk. "Truth is, I had fun. The only time I'm really into fighting is when it's do or die."

The announcer fiddled with his glasses in shock, pulling the mic up to his face. "T-That's it for Asumaru folks!" A small applause let out, not quite to thrilled with the result. The man walked over to the judges desk, where Shikamaru had been seated. "Here's a rare treat for you. The losing party's father is here as one of our analyst. What is your assessment of your son's performance?"

Shikamaru smirked, stroking his chin. "Asumaru's unoffical rank in this tournament was seventeenth. He's quite strong overall, but he surmised that his opponent and him were the same type of fighter at about the same skill level. Rather than both of them fight forever and make it harder to win the next round, he opted to concede to Zente."

The commentator opened his mouth in awe. "Ohhh? I see. What keen perception on his part, if not a little lazy." Zente and Asumaru chatted the whole way back as the TV's lit up with randomized names. The man fixed his glasses, pointing up to the monitors. "Well, you heard it there folks! Asumaru's stats ranked up as seventeenth overall. Ranks of the losing party are revealed upon defeat in this tournament. But enough about that..." The cheeky man pointed up once more. The names stopped, catching the attention of the fighters. "That's it! The next fight is Uzumaki Tsumi Vs. Ryoku! Come on down!"

OoOoOoOo

Yuuki glanced over as the three Phoenix members came out. "Oiii, good luck out there Ryoku. You'll need it."

The boy jolted, rubbing his head. "Uzumaki...I didn't figure on you having a sister, Akiko."

Yuuki raised a hand, waving him off. "I told you to call me Yuuki now, you know?"

Takeshi stared at them as Tsumi and the mysterious boy entered the ring. "Hey, who are they anyway?"

Yuuki tapped her fingers, still awaiting her turn. "They're members of Hell's Phoenix."

Takeshi pulled back. "Are you kidding me? Hell's Phoenix is here?"

Yuuki flicked his face. "Why would I make small talk if they were bad people?"

Takeshi crossed his arms. "Can't I be a little shocked? Are they like Luna and the others?"

Kobi casually listened, watching Tsumi reach the center. He turned in. "Maybe I'm taking it for granted, but they don't quite have the level of experience as our groups, huh?"

Yuuki sized up Kobi with a smirk. "You're too relaxed to have not already understood that. They've probably improved, but not nearly enough."

Kobi laughed casually. "Shoot, guess you got me there."

OoOo

The crowd gave the two fighters a warm welcome, making Ryoku look around in excitement. He pumped his fist intently before thrusting it up. "Now this is an atmosphere! I'll return the energy with force!"

Tsumi snickered. "You're pretty upbeat, huh? Force, the meaning of your name. Let's give it a good effort, alright?"

The man nodded as the announcer lifted his mic. "Our opponents look eager as ever! Tsumi is well versed in most areas of combat, making a good show in the Chuunin exams. She's one of the several Chuunin in these exams, but that's not to be underestimated, as she is the daughter of the legendary Sixth Hokage, and sister of two siblings highly praised throughout." He adjusted his glasses as the crowd roared. "On the other hand! We have a few unknowns in this tournament, and Ryoku is one of them. His confidence and excitement are in the right place, so let's see what they can do!" The man looked between the combatants before swinging his hand down. "Round two. Let the battle begin!"

-Round Two: Pressing the Issue-

Tsumi narrowed her eyes, quickly evading a few blast of earth that had been thrust towards her. "Nicely done! No hand seals or call outs!" The girl now let out a hissing lightning aura, making the man pull back. "Hope you're ready!"

Ryoku grunted. _She somehow already has the momentum._ "Don't get cocky!" Ryoku pulled out a kunai, attempting to engage Tsumi in taijutsu.

OoOo

Yuuki leaned in. "Oh? Tsumi's not going to hold back this time?"

Kokuten groaned. "Why?"

She looked over to him with a sigh. "You three really improved, but you're not quite up to par yet."

Yuuhi and Kokuten sweat nervously, looking back to their leader.

OoOo

"Shit!" Ryoku watched his kunai flail out of his hand as Tsumi stepped in close. She zipped back in forth at an overwhelming speed to him, forcing him to attempt a retreat.

"Kage bunshin no jutsu!" Tsumi shouted as she used an empty palm thrust to launch Ryoku back. As he did, a clone blasted him left, directly into another clone who then blasted him back to Tsumi. She thrust a small ball of chakra forward. "Rasengan!" As the force sent him flying upwards, he was met with yet another clone. "Rasengan!"

"Gyahh!" Ryoku shouted out in excruciating pain as the crowd roared. The clones vanished as Tsumi caught Ryoku and laid him down.

She clapped her hands off, looking over to the announcer, who was stunned at her combination. "Hey, you should call it. He's out cold, but he'll be alright."

Shikamaru took the initiative. "Ryoku cannot continue fighting. Uzumaki Tsumi is the winner of this round."

The man shook it off. "R-right. What an impressive step forward from the last time we saw Tsumi!" The crowd roared in agreement, despite the short match. "Ryoku may have been a master of Earth-jutsu, but at this level, you must have a way to counter your weaknesses. Tsumi simply did not underestimate her opponent and dealt a swift victory." Naruto took a seat next to Shikamaru, getting a gasp from the crowd. The commentator panicked. "O-oh my...It's...It's the Sixth Hokage himself! He's come to assist Shikamaru in the assessments! What an honor!"

Naruto raised a hand, silencing the crowd as Tsumi helped Ryoku out of the area. "Don't get too worked up over it. Besides, three of my kids are here after all."

The man extended his hand. "How do you feel about the way your daughter fought this time as opposed to the Chunin exams?"

He nodded his head. "She's grown into a fine ninja. We may see a few Chunin get promoted after this tournament is said and done." Naruto raised his hand to add. "Tsumi's combination was brutal, but controlled. She knew exactly how much damage to inflict to keep the opponent down without injury." Naruto let out a sweat. "At least I hope so..."

The commentator nodded. "So that's how it is!" The TV made an alarm noise making him jump. "Oh, sorry! Ryoku's stats ranked up to be thirtieth out of thirty-two. That's okay! This competition is very close at all levels, don't let that stop you!" The crowd roared in excitement as an unexpected name appeared on the screen. "How about that!"

OoOo

Yuuki, Isami, and Tsumi just about fell out of their chairs as the combatant ran out with excitement in her eyes. Yuuki rose to meet her. "Kumi! You've really grown, haven't you?"

Kumi snickered, shaking her cousins hand. "That's my line. We're only a year apart. You look good, ex-boss!"

Yuuki assessed her with excitement. Her black hair dropped just passed her shoulders and her attire was battle ready, if not revealing in some parts to accent her feminine assets. Overall, she was quickly becoming a stunning beauty. "I can't believe it, though it shouldn't surprise me. You look like a whole new fighter."

Karui jumped up as her name appeared. "Alright! My turn already!"

Yuuki and Kumi watched as the woman took off without warning. Kumi rubbed her head. "I'm not sure how I'll stack up to you, but I've done a whole lot of 'training in the mountains', so to speak. Just watch me!"

Yuuki crossed her arms with a smile. "Don't lose until you fight me, got it!?"

Tsumi crossed her arms as well. "She won her Chunin exams pretty easily. However, she wasn't really showing anything too special if you ask me. I wonder what she's got up her sleeve."

Isami nodded his head, invading the conversation. "Looks like we've got another prospect on our side."

OoOo

Karui squirmed around eagerly, itching to fight. Kumi smiled, checking over herself before dipping into a Hyuuga -style stance. The announcer settled the crowd quickly. "Karui is a prominent member of the Hidden Rivers village. Her combat style is as of yet unknown to me, but fighting her is someone many of us are excited about!" The crowd grew in energy. "Kumi shocked us in the last Chunin exams, fighting almost as if she was her cousin, Yuuki! However, is she ready to fight at this level after being Chunin for only a year? Let's find out! Let the battle, begin!"

-Round Three: A Love for Combat-

Karui quickly pulled out her staff, charging straight in against Kumi. The Sarutobi didn't budge until the last moment, parrying every stroke coming in from the weapon. Karui grew excited, fully unleashing her skill with the weapon. "Byakugan!" Kumi smirked, perfectly dancing around and lightly redirecting the weapon. Karui planted her staff in the ground, quickly wrapping her leg around Kumi's neck. The young lady spun, punishing her for it. "Raiton: Heavenly spin!"

Thanks to Karui's grip, the staff grounded out the lightning, but she was launched back to mid-range. Kumi took this chance to plant her hand on the ground. "Summoning jutsu!"

King Emma appeared before her eyes, looking around. "Another tournament, huh? You've been busy young lady."

Kumi extended her hand. "This one's not so patient. Give me a hand, will ya?" The King of apes nodded, transforming into a diamond staff.

Karui lifted to her feet. "So that's how you were able to counter the staff so easily. What are the odds of another staff user in the ninja world?"

Kumi smiled as she planted the staff briefly. "This isn't just any staff, and I'm not done yet." She crossed her hands. "Kage bunshin no jutsu!"

Karui glanced around, counting five clones. The eager woman grinned in excitement. "Now we're talking! I'll give it my all!"

The woman attempted to press forward, but the clones swooped in, letting out a barrage of combinations. Three of them pressed into consecutive low, mid and high attacks as the other two prepared jutsu. Karui utilized her staff and keen sense of battle prowess to avoid the onslaught of gentle fist while rising up the staff. A fire and wind jutsu combination closed in. She began to spin like a top on her staff while finishing her hand seals. "Raiton: Rairyu no Tatsumaki!"

Kumi dipped as a massive spiraling whirl of lightning and wind prevented the jutsu combination and ended her shadow clones. However, as Karui prepared to stop the technique and go on the offensive, she was caught completely by an attack. "Futon: Heavenly Auger!" The technique sliced clean through her jutsu. Karui was gashed up and blasted far away, tumbling around.

Kumi landed as the crowd exploded. "Well done! You didn't need my help, huh?" Her staff spoke to her, but before she could respond, Karui was sweeping in close with an almost excited smile.

"This is the best fight I've had in a bit!" Her staff combinations were even greater, coming from every angle. However, just as she landed a good hit to Kumi's side, hands came out from under the ground, gripping her ankles. The momentary shock left her wide open to take a powerful blow from Kumi's staff. "Kyaa!"

The audience grimaced as the woman was sent flying back at an impressive speed. Kumi let go of Emma, running forward. "You can go back now. She's not going to quit."

The ape nodded his head. "Don't overdo anything, you here?" he scratched his head. "I really ought to retire soon..."

As she expected, Karui began to rise. Kumi swiveled in. "Eight Trigrams: Sixty four palms!" Within a flash, an overwhelming barrage of blows attacked the stubborn woman and effectively disabled her movement. The crowd remained silent in anticipation. The announcer took his cue after noting her immobility. "This match is over by a long shot!"

Isami and Zente were both swift to appear on scene as the crowd roared in excitement. This thunderous rumble had been louder than the others before it, making Kumi step back. She looked back to Karui as Isami healed. He looked up to her with a smirk. "You did well not to use all of your strength to strike her. She's not the toughest here, but she definitely doesn't know when to call it quits. Well done Kumi!"

Karui felt her movement return and she laughed. "Oops, looks like I tried too hard again, didn't I?"

Zente knocked her on the head. "You idiot! You've got to learn when to give up already!"

Shikamaru clapped himself. "That was well executed! Karui was ranked twenty-sixth overall, but she would have likely won had it not been Kumi's heads up counter."

Kumi turned over to the booth seeing Naruto and Shikamaru congratulating her. She looked up, seeing a standing ovation from the fighters box as well. The young lady rubbed her nose, throwing up a victory sign.

OoOo

As Kumi approached, Yuuki greeted her along with Datsu, Inora, and Lili. "Hell of a match, Kumi. Looks like you might really be my rival, huh?"

Lili flicked her hair. "Seems like yesterday you couldn't manage the Rasengan fully. You've earned my respect."

Kumi crossed her arms. "Oh yeah, only just now? I wouldn't mind fighting both of you in this tournament."

Datsu laughed heartily. "That'd be a great fight for sure! Honestly, Yuuki and Lili get pretty heated up when they're in fights."

Inora put her hand on Yuuki's shoulder. "That's an understatement." She put her finger on her lips. "Now, I wonder if you could even beat me…?"

Kobi about flipped out of his chair before pointing to the screen. "Yo! Now this should be good!" He turned to see their expression. "Don't give us a bad impression, you hear?"

Lili's eyes twitched as she saw her name. She looked at the opponents name a few times to ensure it's accuracy. "I have to fight you, huh?"

Yuuki snickered, punching her fist. "Yuuki Vs. Lili. This'll be just like practice, huh?"

Lili deflated, heading towards the middle. Everyone in the combatants box, stands, and judges box stood, watching as the two women entered the arena. The commentator shook his head with a laugh of excitement. "I-I can't believe the day's finally here! Uzumaki Yuuki has been training in secret for a long time. According to the information I'm allowed to have, she's been working under the nickname 'Akiko' in the Lightning Village." He fiddled with his glasses, getting a good look at her. "Say, she's really changed over these two years. Her and Lili look kind of alike, don't they?"

Lili stared at Yuuki in concern. "We haven't fought seriously since that day in the forest of death, yet I can tell I still won't be able to beat you."

Yuuki crossed her arms with a scowl. "Don't give me that. A Teruya's pride doesn't forgive those that count themselves out. Don't allow anyone to beat you, not even yourself."

Lili cracked a smile, placing her hand under her chin. "That's just a fancy way of saying never give up, right?"

Yuuki smirked back, eying the commentator. He lifted his hand. "It's the Raikage's daughter vs. the Hokage's daughter! No matter how you slice it, one of these fighters is going to leave hurting pretty bad. Lili's seen her fair share of fights, including one against Yuuki in the Chunin exams. Will that be enough to put the crowd's second favorite down?" He lowered his hand swiftly. "Time to find out! Let the battle begin!"

-Round Four: Teruyas Never Lose-

Lili and Yuuki both made several hand seals, using the same attack. "Storm release: Pulse lightning!" A brilliant barraged of high density lightning attacks collided with each other as the two prepared their next jutsu. "Kage bunshin no jutsu!"

The pulses cleared, revealing two clones each. Yuuki smirked. "Seems right so far, huh?" both groups charged in, weaving in and out and meeting in the middle with an almost identical taijutsu style. Everyone in the stands awed at the impressive display between the two.

The announcer piped in. "This is clearly not their second time meeting in combat!"

Lili took a low heel strike, but spun around, striking Yuuki as well. The clones all suffered similar fates, each defeating each other simultaneously. Lili made her hand seals. "Not a chance!" Just as Yuuki had finished a genjutsu, Lili had canceled it and closed in, summoning a short blade from her arm.

Yuuki rolled around it to her surprise, kicking her in the back before summoning a katana herself. Lili spun around in anger. "Why is it always something different at that part!"

Yuuki pointed her blade. "Are you seriously complaining about that when you're the one who switched the standard positioning of your clones? Give me a break!"

Lili pushed out her hair. "Going for a genjutsu attack after losing the taijutsu match was cheap to."

Yuuki swung her blade. "I didn't lose the taijutsu match! I let you make contact to gain distance!"

The entire stadium sweat at the awkwardness. The man coughed, speaking into the mic. "This is a surprise. It would appear they've fought so much that they're childishly nitpicking each others attacks."

Lili channeled her storm release into the blade as Yuuki did. "It's not like I can vary things as much as you, so don't you dare hold back in this phase!"

Yuuki swung her blade reverse, dipping down. "Like I'd do that." Lili pushed forward, tossing a few kunai to try and throw Yuuki off balance. With a single sweep of her hand, she used chakra to blast them away. Lili closed in, forming a Rasengan in the free hand. Yuuki dipped under the attack, parrying Lili's chakra infused heel that kicked up. As she did so, another Rasengan came from a clone that tagged behind Lili. Yuuki stepped into it, passed the rasengan and headbutting the clone away. Finally, Lili swung violently at Yuuki, who blocked behind her back. Sparks lit the area as the two pressed into each other. Yuuki turned her head with a smirk. "Nice try with the new heels there."

Lili smirked. "Thought you'd like that." The two of them pushed off, leaving a mid range between them. Lili shook her head. "Even after all this time and all the variance I could do, we still can't decide who the strongest Teruya is."

Yuuki swung her arm around, grinning. "Well, what do you say move on to who the better fighter is?"

Lili shook her head with a smile. "As if I'd let us end this in a tie!" Lili expertly charged forward with three clones, each coming in with several rasengans and blades at impossible to avoid angles. "You were careless! This is my victory!"

Yuuki smirked, closing her eyes as he hair began to blow around. She opened her eyes before contact with a shout. "Solar radiation!"

Yuuki glowed incredibly bright, confusing Lili. "What?" Within an instant, a powerful blast of storm release exploded out, channeling a rain of light pulses every where and lasting for five seconds. As the technique dropped and everyone's sight returned, Lili could be seen struggling to rise as Yuuki let out a peace sign.

"I haven't just been learning from Hyouzan, you know? I've been practicing to beat you as a Teruya to!"

Lili rose to a knee with a smirk over her face. "You've got to be kidding me..." Lili looked away. "Beaten by my younger sister in a Teruya fight. Have I no shame?"

Yuuki laughed stretching her arms. "So, you wanna do Yuuki vs. Lili now?"

Lili raised her hand. "I could tell already when we practiced, you've gotten stronger. Even the off chance I manage to get a few hits in, there's no way I could beat you. Save the trump cards. I give up."

Yuuki pulled back. "That's unexpected!" The crowd showed their excitement as the commentator stuttered.

"This, but…how..." He shook his head. "Simply amazing! The Yuuki we've just witnessed operated completely different than the one from the Chunin exams! Other than the Rasengan and shadow clones, I didn't see a single move I recognized. Lili must have been down this road before and has thrown in the towel after that amazing attack from Yuuki. Yuuki is the victor of round four!"

Naruto couldn't sit still, seeing all the flash and overall ninja class she displayed. Naruto cleared his throat. "Cut Lili some credit, she was ranked fifteenth overall in this tournament where ranks are being decided by the tenths. However, I'm proud of both of my daughters today!"

The crowd never let go of their joy as the two fighters shook hands and waved. Shikamaru attempted to hush them down a little. "Alright, try to save your voices. We've still got twelve more matches to go in this first round. There are still many great fights to be discovered."

The commenter nodded his head. "Of course! Let's look and see who will fight in the second bracket group!"

OoOo

Yuuki healed Lili as a crowd gathered around them. Yuuki shook her head. "You got hit harder than I thought by that attack. Were you that caught off guard?"

Lili grunted. "Don't get cocky! It was just a matter of luck."

Yuuki's eyes drifted over, noticing Kobi was the only one kicked back and drinking. _There's something about him…_ Datsu pumped his fist. "Hey, what's the big idea not using all of your techniques?" Yuuki's attention returned.

Inora rolled her eyes. "Yeah, I was really looking forward to seeing some of your new moves!"

Hitomi knocked both of them upside the head. "You idiots, she's not going to just hand you her trump cards! Besides, she did use a new move."

Hotaru rubbed her chin. "Did I really fall behind all of you?"

Takeshi nudged Tegun. "What'd you think? Pretty awesome fight, huh?"

Tegun nodded in excitement. "They've both become a great deal stronger than I remember. Hell, I'm shocked that Lili even gave up in a fight between prides."

Isami snuck in the conversation. "However, it's true that we've only scratched the surface of Yuuki's abilities. Just what is her limit?"

Nia put a hand on her hip, looking up. "As much as I'd like to speculate, looks like I've got a fight to tend to."

Vin's eyes bolted. "You serious?"

Kankiri grabbed his arm. Getting his eye-contact. "Careful."

Nezero put a hand on his shoulder. "You're a lot stronger Vinney. Don't let her go easy on you."

He nodded, making his way to the center stage.

OoOo

"This might be a difficult match for Vin. Although I have yet to see Nia fight, she is one of the four high jonin! You might not remember, but I sure do. Vin put up an amazing fight against Uchiha Takeshi two years ago. He failed to get off what seemed like a powerful jutsu then, but will he manage to take down apparently one of the most prolific ninjas of this era?"

"Hey, Nia." The woman looked to him, somewhat dulled out. "Could you do me a favor and not hold back anything? I want to properly gauge myself and become better."

The woman raised an eyebrow, finally smiling. "I won't underestimate you then."

"Both fighters are ready. Let the battle begin!"

-Round Five: A New Obstacle-

Nia waited, seeing Vin dip around back in forth before closing in. She let out a smirk as he closed in. "Flash." In an instant, her infamous amber aura cackled out and tanned her over. Now, Nia pressed Vin, unleashing a barrage of attacks that burned and shocked and blinding speed. Vin took attack after attack, unable to find the right chance to get away from it. He was easily overpowered and sent to the ground. Nia paused. "What's wrong? This is what you wanted."

Vin clinched his fist, getting on a knee facing away from her. _Lightning combined with fire. Only an ultra dense wind chakra barrier will counter that. I can't do that much..._ Vin swiftly began making dozens of hand signs. _I swore I'd never panic enough to use this attack again._ _But this time..._

Nia tilted her head before smirking. "Oh, I see. That's the mysterious move everyone was talking about." She charged forward. "I won't let you!" Before she knew it, a clone popped out of the ground pushing his hand forward. "Suiton: Hahonryuu!" Nia was blasted back just far enough for Vin to stop his signals.

He turned to her as his eyes emitted a bright light and a black aura grew around him. Without warning, he bolted forward. Several arms came out almost instantaneously, managing to sweep Nia up in it. The extensions flailed around violently slamming her in the ground, punching her around, smashing her between each other, and about anything you could do to damage a body. After around ten seconds straight of the barrage, Vin collapsed to one knee, gasping for breath. He glanced towards the crater he created. "Shit...I might have over done it..." Vin had become visibly weakened by the jutsu.

The crowd was stunned silent as the dust settled. However, to Vin's shock, Nia jumped out of the crater with her aura still up and unharmed. Before he could speak, she put her finger to her mouth to silence him. "If I had reacted a split second later, that would have almost killed me. However, the steel skin jutsu can be activated under my amber aura. Since I didn't need to move, I just let the storm pass, if you will."

Vin's head lowered as he lifted his hand. "This is a complete mismatch. I give."

Speaking over the crowd's noise, the commentator lifted his hand. "Nia has outclassed her opponent even after his amazing jutsu successfully landed! It's no wonder why she's a high-jonin! Vin himself was ranked at eighteenth overall, and I'd suspect he's got a better chance of making Jonin now! What a match!"

Naruto and Shikamaru covered their mic. The Hokage nodded his head. "That's a hell of a jutsu. He was in a complete mismatch, yet still almost won."

Shikamaru nodded. "Imagine if he'd managed to get that off in the Chunin exams. Definitely an interesting guy to keep an eye on."

OoOo

Nezero rubbed his head, rubbing it excessively. "No no no! It's all wrong!" Vin scratched his head as the arena team finished repairing the stage. The red-head pointed his finger. "There's no way you were supposed to lose in the first round!"

Kankiri shook her head. "Inevitable."

Vin nodded his head. "I gave it my all, but she's clearly in a different league. Maybe you two will end up in a more favorable match up."

Nezero glanced at the screen, pointing his thumb down. "Wrong again, Vinney boy." Kankiri's name appeared, along side Kaito.

The woman tilted her head down with a feint smile. "We're just not up to par yet."

Vin crossed his arms. "Don't say that like it's a fact, even if it is kind of true." He turned his head to Nezero. "And you know I hate that nickname." He turned his attention back to Kankiri. "Kaito looks a great deal more powerful, as if that was possible. Don't take too many risk."

She nodded. "I'll try my best, but I don't think I'll be able to do much."

OoOo

"Alright!" The crowd grew restless seeing Kaito's name. The announcer pumped his fist. "Kaito may not realize it, but he's been a crowd favorite since his fight with Yuuki in the Chunnin exams. Has he continued his quest to become the greatest swordsman?" He touched his glasses, eying Kaito's swords. "What's this? He's doubled on the massive swords! Will Kankiri be able to stand up to the pressure?"

Kaito drew both weapons, shooting open his eyes. Kankiri sweat slightly. "I don't intend on holding anything back."

Kankiri prepared to reach in her pockets. "Yeah."

The commentator lifted his hand. "Second round of group two is set. Let the battle, begin!"

-Round Six: Cutting the Chord-

Kankiri began her summoning just as Kaito came close. Before he reached, a steel ape form halted his approach as her salamander summon prepared it's attack. Kaito smirked. "You're quick." He took a sure grip of his blades, letting loose an onslaught of slashes. The steel re-enforced ape was minced to pieces just as paralysis gas swallowed the area. Within a flash, however, the salamander to was also completely destroyed. The man charged forward to halt her next moves. "But I've become even faster."

Kankiri flicked her fingers meticulously. Kaito raised an eyebrow, dodging the mass amounts of shrapnel that came for him. She gritted her teeth. "I won't take it laying down!" She carefully continued to throw shrapnel just enough so she could detach her strings and move to another piece. This created a storm of jagged metal like a locust swarm. She let out a sweat. "It'd be easier to just take a few hits and charge me."

Kaito smirked before growing serious. He stood still, beginning to parry away the pieces. With a grunt, his swings began to blur into a dome shape around him. "Man Yaiba Kabe!"

She gasped, seeing the dome move quickly towards her. Her fingers grew tired and her eyes strained to keep the shrapnel up. Just before he got to her, she quickly backed up while raising her hand. "I give!" Just as she finished, a sharp blade gently rested on her neck. Her body froze in fear.

Kaito held the same gleeful smirk that gave everyone chills. "A wise choice."

The commentator waved his hands. "That's it ladies and gentlemen! Kaito has once again proven just how skilled his swordsmanship has grown. Kankiri put in a great effort, but being ranked at twenty-ninth, you can be sure every fighter you face is going to be extremely difficult to beat. Let's get the next fighters ready, shall we?"

In the judges box, Sasuke showed himself and seated next to Naruto. He nodded his head. "Kaito's kenjutsu is already at a different level."

Naruto glanced over with a less than enthused face. "Showing up late as usual. Go figure it'd take a sword match to get you out here."

The Uchiha glanced back. "Says the man who only showed up when his daughter fought."

Shikamaru sighed. "Man, can't you two just keep it down already?"

Names flashed over and over before one stopped. Hitomi's name remained steady and the crowd grew in excitement. Sasuke scoffed. "Some timing."

OoOo

Everyone in the combatant's box sweat nervously in anticipation. As the name finally came to a stop, the two women that already stood next to each other locked eyes. Hitomi grinned slyly. "Oh? Are you sure you don't want to just quit now?"

Kochi laughed, shaking her head. "Not a chance! We haven't had a square fight since the Chunin exams!"

Hitomi crossed her arms. "Square, huh? You're seem awfully confident for someone who's never beaten me."

Kochi rubbed her head. "You might be right, but I'm still gonna give it a good showing. I have less responsibility if I lose anyways."

Kobi let out a laugh, still looking out to the crowd. "That sounds about right, huh?" He tilted his head back. "Knock her dead, sis! Don't forget, dad's out there watching to."

Tsumi chuckled with Kobi as Yuuki put her hand on her hips once again. _Again, what is up with these two? They have that slacker, carefree attitude that reminds me of someone..._ Yuuki glanced over, seeing Isami whispering something in Hitomi's ear. Her head shook as he busted out in laughter. Yuuki's face deadpanned. _I hope I'm wrong._

OoOo

The commentator laughed, crossing his arms. "How about this match up, huh? Talk about history, Hitomi's first match in the Chunin exams was against none other than Inuzuka Kochi." He pointed his finger up. "However, Kochi was no where near Hitomi's level at that time. Even now, Hitomi is one of the four high jonin. How will she be able to compete in this match?" The man shot his fist up. "Let's not wait to find out! Here comes the third round of group two! Fighter's...Begin!"

-Round Seven: Unlike Old Times-

Hitomi lit up her sharingan, awaiting Kochi's move. The said girl laughed. "Not going to give me an inch, are you?" Kochi breathed in, pulling her short hair back with a serious face. "I can tell you're still better, but I'm not here to play around either."

Hitomi pulled back at the serious demeanor, just off-guard enough to let Kochi in close with a taijutsu assault. She began with her standard form of claw-like swipes that held a great deal of power to them. However, in a brief moment, her form switched to a vaguely familiar attack pattern. The taijutsu was very fluent and allowed her to easily switch in and out of combinations. Hitomi smirked, still not taking a single attack. "Is that master Lee's taijutsu I see?"

Kochi smirked. "Maybe." In between a kicking combo, Kochi summoned a shadow clone, also catching Hitomi by surprise. Now, the two combined to summon a sword each and used each other as obstacles to maintain a constant assault. "Looks like you really haven't been slacking at all..." Kochi let out a chuckle as Hitomi pushed off with kunai.

The Uchiha observed her old friend with a serious face. "I can't say I've ever seen you actually care about combat to this level." Hitomi tucked her kunai away, clinching her fist. "But don't forget who both of my parents are!" With a fast punch to the floor, a twenty-foot radius was reduced to rubble, defeating a few clones that had been underground. Kochi laughed nervously, backing up. Hitomi breathed in casually, charging forward while summoning her sword.

Kochi waved her hand in a fake panic before rolling to the side. Hitomi's eyes jolted, seeing a clone behind her already releasing a jutsu. "Fuuton: Goukuuhou!" As the wind blast struck, the Uchiha exploded in a burst of smoke. The true Hitomi rose from the ground beneath Kochi's clone and struck her through with the blade. As she did, she'd already prepared her jutsu. Kochi grinned. "Guess it's not so easy."

"Katon: Gouryuuka!" A massive fireball shaped like a dragon came flying in towards her.

"H-hahonryuu!" The B-ranked water jutsu clashed with the fire, but the dragon head still punched through, blasting Kochi back. In an instant, Hitomi had closed the gap and began to attack with both her fist and her blade. After around twenty blows, she kicked her old friend to the ground and stood. Although cut up and battered, Kochi rose to her feet with a smile. "You really weren't holding back, huh?"

Hitomi smirked, sheathing her blades. "As if. You know I could have minced you up just now."

Kochi raised her hand. "Oh well. And I had so much more to show you. Looks like I lose this one."

The commentator waved his hands. "That's it folks! A truly grand display of sportsmanship between the two has resulted in Kochi's defeat; and color me shocked, Kochi was ranked number twelve among the fighters. She certainly looked like it, didn't she?"

The crowd rang out as Kiba pushed his way to the judge booth next to Shikamaru with a fold seat. "Buncha crazy fans out there, you know?"

Shikamaru let sweat drip. "You know, there were only four seats up here for a reason..."

Another voice entered the scene as Konohamaru pulled a seat out as well. "Well, if Kiba is joining you, why not me?"

Shikamaru rubbed his eyes. "You two...honestly. You're making it crowded!"

Sasuke glanced over before scoffing. "Who cares. At least the match was more entertaining than I expected."

The announcer inched over to Naruto, coughing nervously. "Umm...Hokage-san. It would appear as though your shadow clone technique is becoming fairly common. Care to elaborate just what they did in that fight?"

Naruto laughed nervously. "You're right." He crossed his arms. "Kochi was pretty clever during her combination against Hitomi. There were loose pockets in the ground where the stage was freshly repaired, so she attempted to spawn some help from underground. However, the sharingan picked up on it and Hitomi was able to use the rubble to leave a clone herself while traveling underground. You can't pull a fast one on an Uchiha that easily, after all."

The announcer nodded in understanding. "I see. That is most definitely the case." He turned back to the audience. "Just a minute while we repair the stage once more folks!"

OoOo

Isami was quick to greet the two, focusing on Kochi. "Hey, that was something else Kochi! Here I was sure that you'd have slipped into another party phase while we were gone!"

Kochi rubbed her head. "See? I'm not strictly there for the party life." She let her arms stretch. "Anyyyways, I could use a good party soon." She turned her head to Kobi. "What do you think?"

He looked at Tsumi, nodding his head. "Maybe later tonight. I'm still curious enough to see how it all plays out. It wouldn't look too well on me to get all messed up for my fights." Kochi nodded, moving on.

Yuuki sat down next to him now, crossing her legs. "So Kobi...fights with an 'S' huh?"

Tsumi laughed as the man dipped his head. "Busted." He looked up with a wink and a smile. "It's true, I don't want to lose in the first round, but having a good time and enjoying the atmosphere is important to, you know?"

Yuuki smiled, putting her elbow on the table. "You'd do well to focus on preparing for who you're going to fight instead. Just hope you don't get a rematch with Datsu. He puts his old self to shame."

Kobi rubbed his head. "You don't say? Guess I better hope that's not the case then."

OoOo

The next two fighters had been announced and they met in the center. Nagi locked eyes with Shitto with a smile. "I look forward to seeing your progress."

Shitto chuckled to himself, shaking his head. "I give up."

Everyone in the arena stunned. Nagi picked up his jaw. "A-are you really sure? I mean, even if it is a mismatch, It wouldn't kill you to try."

Shitto shook his head. "I have nothing to prove to anyone. I am satisfied with my ability, but I understand that I will not win this match. Besides, you're going to need to be well rested for you're fight with Hitomi."

The commentator scooted over to Shikamaru, who prepared his explanation in advanced. "Shitto knew his opponent. The byakugan's gentle fist and Nagi's prowess with ninja tools would effectively counter pretty much anything he threw at him. Shitto was rated at twenty-seventh overall."

OoOo

Chojiko clinched his fist, nodding at his friends decision. "That takes courage to. If it had been someone else, I'm sure Shitto could have really done something."

An announcement came overhead, catching everyone's attention. "This marks the mid-point in the first round. We will be taking a short intermission."

The groups of friends broke off discussing the matches they had seen already. Yuuki remained with Kobi and Tsumi, but Takeshi plopped down to join them. The Uchiha sighed. "Well, I wonder who's going to get stuck fighting Isami."

Tsumi rested her hand on her cheek. "I know he's for real, but seriously...do you think he's going to waltz to the finals?"

Yuuki nodded subtly. "Even if he hasn't improved much, he was able to stand his ground against Takeshi's dad. It's going to take some serious fighting to actually drop him."

Kobi smirked. "I just hope I get a good match up. It'd be pretty lame to go down in the first round to me." Kobi crossed his arms behind his head. "Besides, it's Isami. You never actually know what he's going to do."

Takeshi nodded his head. "That's right. I don't plan on losing any matches, so I have to be prepared to face him and everyone else."

Yuuki grinned, looking over to him. "Are we aiming to make it a Chunin exam repeat then? One of the victors in this first bracket will be in the final afterall."

Kobi leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "Seriously? Do you think you'll be able to beat Hitomi then?"

Tsumi waved her hand. "No, I mean Kaito and Nia are still in the bracket." She crossed her arms. "And don't forget that you have to go through me if you beat Kumi next match! We will have the match we were supposed to have two years ago!"

Yuuki rubbed her head. "Good point. I also don't technically know how far Kumi's gone. We've got a rough patch in our group, huh?"

Takeshi looked over to Kobi, who shrugged to him. "We still have a couple mystery fighters to come ourselves. It'll be pretty interesting, that's for sure."

-Arena Outskirts-

A certain white-haired woman looked out the window before turning back. "I don't think you'll have anything to worry about here."

Isami pulled Hitomi over and pointed to her. "Hey, this is the woman I was talking about. She's pretty good, huh?"

Both Hitomi and Luna blushed. The Hell's phoenix member looked away. "Don't get casual all the sudden. What's wrong with you?"

Hitomi laughed nervously. "Sorry about him." She coughed, getting to the conversation. "So, why is it that you wanted to see him again?"

Luna looked between the two before nodding. "As I'm sure you've been told, I am the One for All's daughter." Hitomi nodded and Isami gasped, making her tick in annoyance. "I told you about the deadline and his original philosophy."

Isami interrupted immediately. "What do you mean original? What's wrong now?"

She looked away. "I don't know. Fumio knows something is off. Typically, he splits his paperwork with him and wants to know about what's happening with everyone, but apparently he's been doing nothing but focusing on the Leaf."

Hitomi crossed her arms. "It was a premonition after all. He's probably extremely nervous about what's in the immediate future."

Luna shook her head. "Not like this. He's always been juggling a million things at once, but he's never forgotten to have a good conversation." The woman looked down. "Or ignore his own blood."

Isami crossed his arms. "If he becomes a problem, you have to be able to stop him from doing something stupid."

Luna nodded. "I know that, but I'm just here to tell you he's dangerous. I can recall him telling those close to watch out for his anger ticks when I was young. He has always appointed those who are the best at what they do in high positions. Even if a few are opposed to it, the others are loyal and will follow him blindly."

Isami rubbed his head. "So, the One for Words is named Fumio, eh?"

Luna blushed, palming her face. "Dammit! How could I have let my guard down again?"

Isami laughed as Hitomi remained unsure of how to react. Hitomi finally interrupted them. "Why are you so willing to feed us this information?"

Luna's eyes widened as Isami simmered down. She looked out the window once more. "It's about the premonition. The minute I met Yuuki and Isami, and even Noriko, I was aware that it couldn't be accurate. The issue that my father has forgotten was that there was another figure she couldn't describe there."

Isami crossed his arms and sat tall. "So, you don't doubt the accuracy, but the concerned parties may differ."

Luna looked like she wanted to say something, but shook it off. "The thing about my mother's premonitions is that they were heavily symbolic." She lifted her hands to aid the explanation. "She could see the constellations, so she knew the season and year." She swept her hands across. "She could see a torrent of fire and chaos, giving rise to the oblivion to come." Luna stopped, making eye-contact with them. "And finally, she could make out someone who she presumed was your father and a shady figure. That usually means the culprits."

Isami nodded his head, looking over to Hitomi. "This is why I asked you to come. I'm certain there's going to be a misunderstanding that leads to the premonition. We need to keep an eye on it."

Luna clenched her arms, closing her eyes. "I trust you leaf ninja. There is turmoil within our nation that I feel happens under the radar. Noriko is out there trying to uncover what she can to clear it up. Osamu also doesn't listen to anyone but me." She shook her head. "And Fumio isn't stupid either. He's my father's right hand because he believes my father is truly a great man."

Isami clenched his fist. "We're going to do our part to. My father wouldn't ever consider causing the end of days. No matter what, it all points to Guden. I can guarantee he's the shady figure."

Hitomi looked to her as Luna nodded. "I'm sure you had another concern that you held back, but this is more than what I expected already."

Luna turned away once more. "I will tell you what was bothering me if I become certain of it. I'll be in touch."

Hitomi stopped her once more. "Hey, Luna. You kind of look similar to Tsumi, you know that?"

Luna closed her eyes, slightly irked. "Isami said that two years ago. You're seeing things, rest assured."

Isami stretched. "Alrighty, we've taken enough of your time. If anything goes south…" Isami grinned with a wink. "We'll take care of you and everyone else. Uzumaki's look after other Uzumaki's after all."

Luna blushed looking out the window. "Just get out of here already, you idiot!"

-END-

-A/N-

Whew, 8 rounds down, 23 to go. If you are unaware of my methodology on selecting who fights who, I leave it up to Excel random numbers. There were only two fights I switched around and I got lucky with some of the match-ups. If fighting isn't your thing (or you hate my fights), don't worry. There will not be strictly fighting taking place in my chapters.

Hmm...Luna seems to be operating under the One-For-Alls nose. I wonder what Noriko has been doing all of this time...And where is-

shhhh...answers will come. Take some advice from Kobi and just relax, ok ;)


	3. Breaking a Sweat

Chapter Three: Breaking a Sweat

The chatter among the audience died down as the announcer came to the center, clearing his throat. "Thank you for your patience! The fighters have all gathered and are ready for some action! We've seen it all in the last eight matches: Mismatches, forfeits, and down-right gritty and glorious combat! I don't expect the action to die down one bit. Without further ado." He pointed to the big screen where the names stopped. "Will Tekkaku and Nezero please step into the ring!"

OoOo

Nezero pulled back, seeing his cousin step out. The Nara was as chipper as ever, stretching enthusiastically. "I wanted to make it a surprise in all, but I didn't expect to wait that long!" He turned to Nezero with a grin. "I've been looking forward to another good spar, but I playing it out in a tournament setting? I'm all fired up now!"

Nezero smiled, crossing his arms. "You huh? You may win in taijutsu spars, but do you think you have what it takes to beat me now?"

The Nara took off to the arena. "Only one way to know!"

Nezero looked to his team before nodding. "He's right." With a smirk, the red-head took off to follow.

Shikamira crossed her arms with a sigh. "The only brother more annoying than you. Seriously, what's with that personality?"

Asumaru tapped his fingers. "You only have two brothers you know? He's pretty much like us, just a different way of being carefree."

Isami grew excited. "I remember when he used to pester me for fights. This should be good; he's more fired up than usual."

OoOo

The commentator made way and gave his signal. "Fighters are ready, let the battle begin!"

-Calm Down Already-

Nezero prepared an earth jutsu as Tekkaku drew two kunai reverse and closed in. "Doton: Gansetsukon!" Several staffs of earth plowed towards Tekkaku, but to Nezero's shock, he tanked straight through it and landed several body shots on him. Nezero keenly avoided the kunai swipes and grabbed one of his staffs to help parry. Nezero gritted his teeth. "That's not typical of you!"

Tekkaku aggressively spun his body, kicking up the staff with one foot and making an impact to the chest with the other. "I'm not about to make it easy!"

Nezero ticked, preparing a jutsu. However, Tekkaku already thrusted himself forward with a lightning aura. With a stern headbutt, Nezero was sent to the ground. However, he managed to leap off the impact and catch his rival with a strong elbow to the chin. "You're really getting into it today!" Tekkaku gripped his kunai firmly, charging forward once more. Nezero smirked, throwing his hand out. With a pound from the side, Tekkaku was nailed by a hunk of earth followed by a flurry of similar impacts. "Doton no Jutsu. Don't underestimate it!" Nezero prepared to motion for a finisher, but was frozen momentarily. The young man's eyes widened, looking below him. "But when..."

The Nara smirked, rising to his feet. "You're too quick to use the earth as a weapon. That many shadows generates an easy path, buddy." Nezero tugged and pulled, but before he could break free, Tekkaku had closed in with both kunai crossed at his neck. "Sorry pal; I'm not going home this time."

Nezero smirked as the match was called. "You son of a...you've never used the shadow bind technique. And here I was just getting started." The two of them shared a snicker.

The crowd stunned, chattering among themselves. Even the Hokage and Shikamaru traded a conversation. The announcer pushed up his glasses. "Amazing! I'm not exactly a master ninja, but I can tell Nezero was completely caught off guard. I'll differ to-" Nezero tugged at him, whispering in his ear. The announcer awed, nodding. "No need! It would appear these two are long rivals and cousins! This time, Tekkaku completely changed his game plan. Apparently, they've always fought hard and long spars, but Tekkaku came in knowing he was at a disadvantage and went for the win. This just further proves that you can't get too familiar with your opponents!"

He cleared his throat. "Anyways, Nezero was ranked at twenty-third." The entire arena quieted as a single name lit up the screen for the next fight. "What's this?"

Combatants Terrace

As Isami's name displayed brightly, not a single fighter was lounged back. Yuuki scanned around. _Now...who will it be? There's only so many people who could make it interesting._ The name finally froze, showing a new fighter. Yuuki sweat-dropped, seeing the man walk out. _Hyouzan?_

The displayed name was Koari, but Isami judged Yuuki's expression and grew eager. Koari walked up next to Isami and the steps. He tilted his head to him with a smirk on his face. "I don't trust stairs...They always seem to lead up to something."

Isami's cheeks puffed up, barely holding in his laughter as everyone let out a sweat. However, Isami quickly recovered with a serious face. "I feel ya. I used to have a fear of hurdles, but I got over it."

Koari now struggled to hold back his laughter with a smirk. "Well played. Let's get to it, Isami-chan."

With a final look over to Yuuki, Isami pieced it fully together. As he made his way towards the center, the crowd deafened anyone not covering their ears. The announcer fidgeted around before finally pumping his fist. "Yes, it's the moment all of us, myself included, have waited for! Isami the Invincible has finally returned his fighting prowess to the public view! It's been years, and the crowd favorite has finally made his debut! However..." The announcer observed his next subject. "A man comparable in age has made his first showing. He's a mystery, with virtually no records to his name. How can Koari possibly compete at this level?"

Koari looked over to the man with a snarling aura that set him into a retreat. "I'd be careful how you word yourself, pal."

The announcer pulled back, lifting his hand. "W-Without further adu, let the battle begin!"

-Pun for Your Money-

Koari smirked, looking over Yuuki's brother well. "I've heard a great deal about you."

Isami prepared himself. "I figured. You're the one responsible for training Yuuki, aren't you?"

Koari chuckled, lifting his arms out and to the side. "As quick minded as she, I see." He remained in his stance. "I'm curious; are you worthy of the title, 'Invincible'?"

Isami's eyes became serious. "Now that I know who I'm dealing with, it'd be an honor to try and prove it to you."

With a flash of his byakugan, Isami swiveled off to the side before appearing to the back side of his foe. Koari scoffed, preparing to counter the move. However, Isami had backed up, shocking the man. Now facing Isami, a clone appeared behind him and landed a rasengan to his back. As Koari was launched towards him, Isami prepared his follow up. However, The Uzumaki quickly snapped his fingers just before impact. As he did, a massive flash freeze coated the area and appeared to freeze Isami. Koari regained his balance, looking back. "Interesting kid. I can tell you've switched positions with your clone instantaneously."

Isami chuckled. "I guess I can't pull a fast one on you that easy, huh?"

-Combatants Terrace-

Kobi grunted, looking over to Yuuki. "Hey, just who is that guy? You know him, don't you?"

Yuuki tilted her head towards him as Takeshi, Lili, and Tsumi leaned in. "Perceptive. That man is going by an alternate name, but he's not actually a man." The group pulled back.

Takeshi let out a sweat. "You...mean he's a chick?"

Yuuki face palmed. "His name is Hyouzan, the great Ice Dragon. He's been alive for an eternity. He's the one that I've trained under this whole time."

Kobi looked back towards the battle. "That explains why he carries himself that way."

Tsumi tapped her fingers. "Why would a being like that bother coming here?"

Yuuki crossed her arms in deep thought before looking up with the answer. The group leaned in. "I'd have to say pure curiosity and boredom." The practically all bashed their faces against the table.

-Judges Booth-

Naruto and the others watched as Isami and Koari traded intricate combos. Each movement became an attack to counter the other. Sasuke gritted his teeth. "Just who is this guy?"

Shikamaru tore the stat card in half. "Knew it was like this. He was clearly able to match his power to the average fighter here. However, it's obvious he's far stronger."

Naruto leaned back with a smile. "I think I get it; this guy's using ice, right? I think he's Yuuki's master."

Kiba scratched his head. "Let's hope you're right." He looked over Naruto's boy carefully. "Isami's still not taken a hit. What's with that kid?"

Konohamaru took a drag of his cigarette. "Normal has never been a good way to describe Isami. Just keep your eyes open. You might learn a thing or two." The man turned to Kiba with a smirk. "I did."

OoOo

Koari halted his assault, crossing his arms. He gave his opponent a smirk. "Well done, Isami-chan. It would appear you are one of the best fighters this land has to offer." He rubbed his nose. "I wouldn't say invincible, but certainly quite impressive."

Isami cricked out his shoulder. "I was never really a fan of the title anyways. What's this about? I'm sure you could floor everyone here if you wanted to."

Koari smirked with a nod. "Indeed. I set it up so I would be your opponent. My goal was to see exactly why Yuuki looked so highly on you." Koari nodded his head. "Aside from your obvious gift at making amazing puns."

Isami felt relief. "You know, that's what I've been trying to get people to understand this whole time." He shook his head. "But why me?" He shifted his eyes around. "I'm not even sure I plan on going all the way in these fights unless I feel like it would benefit others."

Koari's eyes glinted. "I can tell you know better. I know you're aware of the truth in Hell's Phoenix, but it's truly not my place to directly interfere with mortal affairs. There's a serious conflict on the horizon. Don't back off of your beliefs, but make sure you truly question everything."

Isami nodded his head. "As you say." He clenched his fist. "Somehow, everyone is looking to me to give a direction, but in the end, I feel more and more that it is Yuuki and her peers that are going to be the deciding factor. I'll devote everything I have into guiding them there." Isami rubbed his head. "Even though that's not really my style."

The crowd grew restless in anticipation. Koari looked to them before returning his attention. "You humans have always been curious things, but Yuuki really warmed me up to your potential. Honestly, were it not for her memory of your amazing puns, I'd have never bothered with this world in the first place." Koari inhaled deeply before lifting his hand. "I'm out of chakra and ideas! Fighting Isami any further would be the worst mistake I've ever made. I concede!"

The announcer as well as the crowd gasped. He fumbled over his words as Isami nodded in understanding. "W...well said by the newcomer! He was incredible in this fight, only taking a single hit from Isami, but in the end, Isami was overwhelmingly impressive! Let's give them both a hand!" The crowd erupted in cheer as Isami played the showman part. The judges watched as Koari gave them a salute before disappearing in a flash.

-Combatants Terrace-

Kobi leaned back, slightly annoyed. "That was a good fight, I guess. Looks like they weren't too serious though."

Takeshi gave his old friend a look. "You guess? Even if Koari wasn't out of chakra, Isami never took a hit. I don't know if I'd have been able to do the same against that guy."

Yuuki rested her head, getting used to the weird vibes Kobi sent. "He's right, you know. Hyouzan and Isami could have really brought the house down. He should have punished Isami a few times, but it looks like Hyouzan already knew Isami was testing him with the openings. Don't go playing dumb and innocent Takeshi."

Takeshi pulled back, crossing his arms. "Sheesh, you guys are harsh. Honestly though, you two don't understand just how hard it is to land a hit on Isami. I don't think he's shown even a fraction of his true potential."

Kobi snickered. "Yeah right. He was trying to prove a bit of a point with that lead off attack."

Tsumi nodded intently. "I'm going to fight him, if not in this tournament, then outside of it."

Yuuki tapped her fingers, looking between the two. _They're completely relaxed still. None of these fights have really shaken them one bit._ She looked over at Lili, who was silently staring at Isami with a strange blush on her face. Yuuki ticked. _You're kidding me. She's still in awe over my brother?_ Yuuki kicked her. "Snap out of it already. You're almost more obnoxious when you're not saying anything!"

Lili crossed her arms, looking away. "It's not like I was thinking anything! Mind you're own business, half-i"

Yuuki sat in an arrogant pose. "Looks like half was all it took to beat you anyways!"

Lili pointed before Tegun jumped in between. "Hey now, how 'bout that fight?" Both girls simultaneously punched him out.

"We're over that already!"

Tegun slouched down, rubbing his cheeks. "You aren't kidding Takeshi! They've become even more violent!" As Takeshi nodded, the next two names popped up on the screen. Tegun pointed up. "Hey! Looks like Chojiko gets to go a round with that new guy."

Takeshi leaned over, seeing Inora already giving his friend pointers. Seeing a gap, Takeshi raised his hand. "Yo, Chojiko!" The man looked up to see who it was. Takeshi lowered his hand into a thumbs up. "Show 'em what you're made of!"

Kobi gave his old friend a wave as well. Chojiko nodded with a smirk, returning the gesture. "Thanks for the support guys! I'll try to show you what I've learned."

Kokuten observed the surrounding conversation, rubbing his chin. "They're all pretty powerful. I'm not so sure we should be here."

Kokuten's eyes bulged as Ryouku kidney punched him. "What's with that defeatist attitude, you wimp!"

Yuuhi got between them both with a forced smile. "Cool it you two. You both have a fair point."

Kokuten scoffed, proceeding to the arena. "I suppose we can save the bickering for later."

The announcer winced, remembering a detail. "Ah, I was so excited I forgot to mention Koari's rank. He was 14th overall, just two steps under Kochi." He waved his arms. "Not detracting from this fight obviously. The last time I saw Chojiko, he was timid, but mustered the courage to fight Kaito." The man adjusted his glasses. "And just look at him folks! He's really lost some weight and has a pretty good tone going." The crowd awed as Chojiko rubbed his head. The announcer shook it off. "Anyways, another new comer to our tournaments has arrived. His friend was absolutely rocked by Tsumi in the second match, so let's see if he has what it takes to get to the next round." The man looked between the two with excitement before nodding. "Fighters, begin!"

-Chojiko's Heart -

Kokuten reared his right fist back and held his left arm defensively as he observed his opponent. _Just looking at him, he's a soft guy._ Chojiko lifted his fist, now putting on a determined face. Kokuten smirked. _I think I can get the edge here. I'll wait for his first move._

Chojiko inhaled, making several hand seals. "Doton: Heavy Roller!" Chojiko expanded rapidly, forming a rock hard ball. A massive explosion triggered at the site, but Chojiko was unaffected.

Kokuten pulled back, throwing out more explosive attacks from his swinging arms. "Seriously, what is that?!"

The black-haired ninja realized he could outrun the ball, forcing him to retreat and prepare his counter. However, before he could initiate his lightning jutsu, Chojiko broke out of the ball a few meters away already forming hand seals. "Hyah!" He slammed the ground generating an odd sound.

Kokuten couldn't help but cover his ears. "What? Why does it hurt?" As he looked up, he noticed his vision had been thrown off. He could see three of Chojiko charging forward. _He's thrown my vision off_ _by disturbing my ears_ _, but if I concentrate on the one in the middle…_

Kokuten put all of his energy into attacking his target, setting of a sizable explosion. "Sorry, you guessed wrong!" Kokuten jolted, seeing a massive fist coming in from the right. _It was genjutsu!_ With the collision, the man was smashed into the ground. Chojiko stretched out his arm. "Not yet!" In a wide ark pattern, Kokuten was bashed several times into the ground before getting launched into the air. Chojiko judged his opponent, finally catching him. He placed him on the ground, unconscious. Kokuten regained his vision, seeing a kunai on his throat. "You've got a lot of potential! Sorry if I was too excessive."

Kokuten grunted, stumbling to his feet and turning away. "Don't try to butter me up. I'll need to train much harder from now on."

The announcer waved his arms in excitement. "That's it for Kokuten! He was ranked as 31st in this tournament, but I think we can agree this was a rather _explosive_ debut!" The crowd showed little reaction, making him pull back in sweat. "Chojiko was great this time around! He's made it to the second round and shown a vast difference in confidence this time! Let's hear it for this young man!"

The crowd grew more eager. The noise wasn't as profound, but they were clearly still impressed with the difference. The two made there way back.

-Combatants Terrace-

Shitto met him with a hand shake, along with Kobi. "You did well, Chojiko. You're on a great pace for the next fight."

Chojiko laughed nervously as Kobi wrapped his arm around his old friend. "That's the good stuff there! I knew you two would really improve over time."

Chojiko rubbed his head. "I feel bad for those two at least. They're good, but they haven't had enough experience to go far here."

Shitto nodded, looking to Kobi. "Out of the three of us, you're the only pact member who hasn't fought. I look forward to seeing how you've improved."

Kobi waved him off. "I'd be lying if I said I wasn't looking forward to fighting, but sheesh, at this rate I'll be last...again."

The three laughed as Inora squeezed in, poking at her brother. "Hey, nice work with the genjutsu, Chojiko! I can't wait to see what else you can do!"

Kobi looked up, as if amused. "That's just too good." He pointed up. "Inora vs. Shikamira: The rivals of old get there match."

Inora clinched her fist as Chojiko sighed. "I hope she's been training extra hard. If I win this, I'll get to fight Chojiko personally!"

Kobi busted out a quick laugh, returning to his seat. "She's been training alright. Just don't get carried away, kay?"

OoOo

Shikamira sighed, gulping down a quick drink. "Looks like it's my turn."

Asumaru rubbed his chin. "I guess you have changed. You're usually thinking your butt off at this point."

Tekkaku squirmed in thought as she just smiled, leaving the area. "Hey bro, she's really chill now, huh?"

The two nodded, leaning in to watch the fight.

-Arena-

"Well, would you look at that! It's the stunners from their Chunin exams! Both of these fighters really turned heads by making it to the quarter finals, but that was then. It's almost unfortunate, but one of them will not be moving on. Will it be Inora, the feisty butterfly, or Shikamira, the golden tactician? We're finding out right now!" He pushed his glasses up as the crowd roared. "Fighters...Begin!"

-After You-

Inora held a serious face, carefully observing her opponent. "It's been some time, Shikamira. You seem like you have less of a stick up your ass."

The woman crossed her arms. "You still talk a lot." She looked her over before nodding. "You look good. How's the social life?"

Inora pulled back, getting into a stance. "This is hardly the time for that. Let's just skip straight to me winning."

Shikamira sighed. "If you insist." She raised a hand in the air, throwing her opponent off before laughing. "I'm kidding, of course. I won't just give up like that." Her hand lowered. "We issued a challenge. It's fitting that we see it through."

Shikamira pulled out her fans, which in recent times had become more elegant. Without pause, she charged forward. Inora pushed off backwards, making hand seals. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

Shikamira pulled off, unleashing whips of wind from her fans and dropping a smoke bomb. She summoned a clone herself and continued to think. _Just from that, I can tell we're at least matched in speed. Four clones to lead off tells me her chakra is much higher_ _than expected._ Shikamira smirked as rain began to pour down. _And here it comes..._ "Shintenshin no jutsu!"

As the smoke settled, Shikamira and Inora remained in place. Shikamira moved now, shaking her head. "To think you could be so careless Shikamira..." Inora looked through Shikamira's eyes, ready to force a surrender, but was quickly clocked in the face. She went down, looking up at the attacker. "What the?"

Inora saw her body standing with a bloody nose and a smirk on her face. "Like my new technique? 'cuz I'm not going to explain it."

Inora stood up, narrowing her eyes. "I don't know the details, but you still don't have the advantage. Any damage done to this body is transferred to my original body. I could release this jutsu at anytime."

Shikamira chuckled, summoning shadow clones with Inora's body. "However, damage done to this body does not get transferred to mine."

Inora let out a sweat, attempting to raise her hand once more. However, her body froze in place. Inora's mouth became muffled as a clone had already possessed her shadow. Shikamira lifted her hand to the side. "I could make you surrender now, but I don't think we should end this fight that way." She looked over to the clones. They were clones of Inora, but with Shikamira's will. "If you don't release the technique, I'll just have you get defeated by your own clones."

On cue, the three free clones began to pummel Inora's body. She closed her eyes in thought. _Shikamira pulled a fast one on me, but I could have released the technique to forgo the surrender attempt. Every second I waste now gives her the upper hand. Cleaver. Release!_

In a blur of vision, Shikamira returned to her body. Now she charged forward. "Alright, let's not let up!"

Inora jolted, seeing the clones her body had made still attack her. What was more concerning was they used her own taijutsu style against her. Already battered, Inora struggled to keep up. "That's some technique. I never thought about using shadow clones in someone else's body." Her eyes suddenly flashed in confidence as Shikamira froze in place. The surprise allowed her to easily finish off the clones. "Just kidding! Talk about a reversal!"

Shikamira looked stunned as the culprit was none other than a clone of herself using the shadow bind technique. "Oops. Looks like I've underestimated your cunning." She looked back to Inora, who now seemed to be struggling in her own head. "But can you manage to keep my clone's chakra from stalling you until I break this hold?"

Inora grunted. "Of course..." When Inora had destroyed the possessed clones, their state of mind came back along with the chakra. Inora had to fight their will from taking control. They tugged at her sanity. _Come on, why are you even trying? There were three of us. Only one of you won't cut it._ Inora gritted her teeth, pushing her arms out to the side. "I am a Yamanaka too! You might be smarter, but you'll never understand the brain like I do!" With that, her hesitations went away and her chakra manifested around her legs and arms.

Shikamira stunned slightly before giving a smirk. "Looks like I've failed. Let go already, I can't win."

Inora crossed her arms. "How do you figure?"

Shikamira broke herself free, pointing towards her own clone. "The minute either you or I destroy that clone, we'd either be doomed to repeat the same set of events or my mind will be out of my hands. It's a little disappointing that you thought of the same idea, but that just means I wasn't going to win."

Inora nodded, breaking the shadow clone. Shikamira froze in place before looking over to the announcer. "Hey, you should have already called this one. Inora's clearly too awesome and sexy for me to handle." The announcer pulled back as Shikamira shook her head, looking over to Inora. "Really? Are you happy you could make me say that?"

Inora laughed, rubbing a tear out of her eye. "That's just priceless. It legitimately looks like you're crazy."

The announcer regained his composure. "W-Well, it looks like Shikamira has surrendered to her opponent. Let's defer to her father's opinion on this one, since I have no clue what happened.

Shikamaru sighed. "It's complicated." He cleared his throat, seemingly happy to explain now. "You see, Inora is a Yamanaka, capable of transferring her mind into someones body using secret ninjustu. The shadow bind justu is also a special jutsu, in the sense that neither are genetically inherited. Using a delicate balance of Yin and Yang chakra-"

Naruto cut him off. "Can we keep it brief?"

Shikamaru deflated, rethinking his explanation. "Shikamira developed a technique that allowed her to take control of her own shadow and combined it with another technique that allows the user to control a target's mind and body from their own shadow. Using a shadow clone maintains the will of the possessor. So, Shikamira assumed she could make Inora dig her own grave by allowing the body switch to happen. However, Inora also made a clone and hid it using a camouflage technique. Since Yamanaka's are masters of the brain, she was able to fend off the secondary attempts to control her mind and instead forced a surrender." He rubbed his chin. "Her clone was able to dig into Shikamira's mind and learned the trick to the shadow bind technique. I don't really know how I feel about it, but I guess that's what happens."

The commentator began using hand gestures trying to rehash what happened in his head before giving out a flustered groan. "I don't think I have the understanding to fully grasp it, but it looks like Shikamira has been caught off guard and forced to surrender."

Inora crossed her arms as everyone remained silent. She passed her old rival. "So, do you admit that I've become a better fighter than you?"

Shikamira nodded, walking with her hands behind the back of her head. "To be honest, I just want to see you and Chojiko fight more. It'll be fun."

Inora shook her head and chuckled. "Seriously, you're much cooler after all this time. You wanna go for a drink or two later?"

She winked with a grin. "I'm a bit ahead of you, you know?"

The announcer pulled his collar as the crowd became restless. He ran through the names in his head before nodding. "I understand everyone, but the fighters at this level have a knowledge of fighting that supersedes my own. Shikamira ranked 25th overall, but even her unmatched intellect is not enough to win in this competition." He jolted, pointing up with excitement. "But remember, there are still four matches before round one is over! We still have to see two of the river ninjas, three of the lightning ninjas, and other great prospects like Uchiha Takeshi!" The crowd regained it's energy.

-Combatants Terrace-

The group let out laughter as Kobi crossed his arms in mild annoyance. "Looks like you're not important enough, honey." Tsumi poked at him.

Datsu walked over, arms crossed. "That's bull." He pointed to Kobi. "I can tell from our fight in the Chunin exams; the crowd is probably eager for another fight between us."

Kobi lifted his arm to Datsu in appreciation. "Thank you! I think everyone's underestimating the importance of a good, funny fight."

Datsu shook his head with a smirk. "It's a bit different this time, no offense. I'm not the same as before."

Kobi grinned, leaning back. "Ah, that's a shame. Good luck to you then."

Datsu looked up, seeing his name. With a punch to his fist, he looked over to his old rival who held a smirk. "So, looks like I'm fighting Akano and his fancy pants."

Yuuki glanced over to Takeshi, who had been scanning around. "What?"

He looked at her. "There's someone else that wasn't mentioned. Who was it again?"

Yuuki raised an eyebrow, looking back around. After a moment, she pointed. "Yuuhi. She's easy to miss in that group."

Takeshi's eyes froze slightly as he felt his heart pound. The girl teased at the taller male with her. Her hair was a rustic brown and fell just passed her shoulders. Takeshi gulped. "Yeah...that's right."

Yuuki took a double take, smirking slightly. "Oh? Don't worry about that guy. Ryoku is her brother."

Takeshi relaxed. "Ah, so that's how it is." He chuckled before realizing what he said and turned away.

Yuuki narrowed her eyes with a grin now. "Looks like someone over here has more plans than fighting."

Kobi and Tsumi looked over in a slight panic. "Hey, don't go accusing me of anything! We're not going to get like that with all of our old friends here!" Kobi's response distracted Yuuki and Takeshi.

She shook her head. "I wasn't even...Get a room already!"

They observed the announcer as he finished up his introduction. "In summary, this could be one great fight! Let's see it. Let the battle, begin!"

-Pride and War-

Datsu quickly summoned shadow clones, tanking a blow from Akano immediately. Akano continued his assault. _He's gotten even tougher. Two shadow clones is pretty conservative for him._ After he connected knees to the chest, Akano delivered a strong elbow, beginning to evade the clones and their assault.

Datsu rose after a rise from the crowd with a smirk on his face. "Looks like you've begun putting some serious power into your attacks. I hope you can do better than that though."

Akano smirked, tanking one of the clones attacks. "Metsubu!" Debris kicked up, getting in both Datsu and his clones eyes. In a flash, Akano drew a short blade and cut down his clones.

Datsu rubbed at his eyes before smirking. "Release!" Akano's eyes bolted open, leaving Datsu to step aside and toss him to the ground. He turned. "Nice genjutsu."

Akano regained his balance, clinching his blade harder. _Damnit. That was supposed to be his weakness._

Datsu crossed his arms. "I know you know by now, but you're in a mismatch. You won't win this fight."

Akano smirked, making hand seals. "I can still try! Doton no Jutsu!"

Datsu extended his hand. "Raiton: Rai Ryouken." Akano watched as his earth jutsu crumbled under the shape of a hound biting through and towards him. _What?! No hand seals?_

Akano barely dodged, preparing another jutsu. "Futon: Juuha Shou!" A quick, crescent blade came flying at Datsu.

The man remained still, using hand seals. "Fuuton: Kaze Gaeshi!" The incoming jutsu was pulled into a twister, strengthened, and sent back at Akano. He braced himself as the jutsu came too fast a gashed a massive cut into him.

Akano dropped to his knee, seeing the blood come out in a steady flow. "You're kidding...I..." Akano closed his eyes in disappointment. _All of this training...All my hard work...And my pride..._ He opened his eyes. "I give." _No._ _It's still there._ _I have a responsibility to myself._ _Datsu really is something._

The announcer rushed over, deeming Datsu the winner. "That's it folks." Akano began to tend to his own wounds. The man nodded. "Akano made an excellent effort, but it looks like Datsu has really worked on all fields of his game! Akano is able to heal his own wounds and his stats come out to rank him at Twentieth overall. Let's hear it for both of them!" As the crowd roared, Naruto began whispering over to Shikamaru, who nodded.

-Combatants Terrace-

Kobi rubbed his chin, congratulating Datsu on his win. "Hey, looks like you're serious after all. Well done."

Takeshi nodded. "I can't wait to see more. All this waiting around is getting to me."

Tegun punched him, seeing his name on the screen. "Look no further, you're fighting someone." The names cycled through briefly before stopping on Tegun's name. The man punched his fist hard with a burst of excitement. "Hell yeah! That couldn't have worked out better if we'd tried!"

Takeshi clinched his fist. "And whichever one of us win gets to fight Datsu! The wait was worth it!"

Before anyone could respond, both of them quickly made it to the center. Yuuki and Lili shared an unenthusiastic look between each other. Lili sighed. "What's with those two?"

Yuuki lifted a hand. "Who knows. Their basically the same person at this point." The two nodded. Kobi and Tsumi looked at each other after the ironic call out, shaking their heads.

-Arena-

Sasuke leaned forward, placing his arms on the table. "So, this is the taijutsu kid, huh? He doesn't seem like anything special."

Naruto and Shikamaru studied the stat cards. "I'm not so sure. Takeshi has an advantage, but it's not a significant one." The blond pulled back, crossing his arms. "They've been training together for a while, so it's likely they know who's going to win. We may very well see another forfeit." Shikamaru rubbed his chin in thought.

Meanwhile, the announcer proceeded to boast the two fighters immensely. Takeshi clinched his fist, reaching forward. "Hey Tegun." The man looked over to him. "You're not planning on giving up, are you?"

The man laughed, punching his fist together. "Don't think you're getting off so easy, pal!" The Uchiha pulled back before shaking his head with a smile.

"Enough talk! It's time to find out who has what it takes to move on. The fighters are ready, so let the battle begin!"

-Lights Out-

Takeshi lead off by closing the gap quickly with his sharingan active. However, Tegun immediately let out his lightning aura, catching Takeshi slightly off guard. With a timed side-step, Tegun motioned his body for a right hook, but instead used a left uppercut to knock Takeshi away. The crowd stunned as Takeshi shook himself off. He gave his friend a look. "Guess we're going all out, huh?"

Tegun began to hop around. "This is a tournament after all. We've fought enough to know each others moves. If you hold back or get flashy, I'm taking this one!"

Takeshi grinned, stepping up. "As you wish!" With a flash of movement, Takeshi weaved in and out, zipping in behind Tegun. "Chidori!"

Tegun spun, parrying the Uchiha's attack with his left hand and crushing his face with his right fist. Takeshi managed to stay put, kicking Tegun back with his left foot before holding his cheek. "Son of a..." Blood dripped down from his right hand and his face. _He really learned how to coat his fist in wind chakra to…_ The Uchiha laughed nervously as he readied himself. "Hey, that's not funny, Guns. Since when were you able to learn that one?"

Tegun rubbed his nose with a smirk. "Didn't I tell you not to get flashy, Red?" Takeshi narrowed his eyes with an excited expression. This time, Tegun lead the charge, closing in quickly. Takeshi used his sharingan to read the threats in the taijutsu and allowed his body to develop it's own plan. Just when it seemed like an opening was about to appear, flames coated his fist and Tegun really began a flurry of punches. Even with his sharingan, the blur of the flames disguised his attacks and Takeshi was left with a fleshed out barrage of super-heated strikes. Just as Tegun pulled back for a power blow, Takeshi used his ears to line up a blind-side kick to the head to send the lightning ninja flying away. Tegun caught himself before going down, pulling back.

Now, Takeshi moved in with his own attacks, targeting the lower body with kicks to keep his range. With a wild series of flying kicks, Takeshi revealed a jutsu. "Doton no Jutsu!" Tegun took a hit to the gut, dropping his defenses enough to allow Takeshi to pull in close with his hardest punch. Tegun used a cross-counter, causing both fighters to get launched back to the ground.

-Judges booth-

Sasuke felt more stiff, witnessing the extreme speed of Tegun's punches. "Those are blindingly fast! This guy really can keep up with the sharingan..."

Shikamaru nodded. "It would appear Takeshi is doing his best to conserve chakra, but at this rate, he'll lose."

Naruto grinned. "To think Tegun had that much potential with just his fist!"

-Combatants Terrace-

Yuuki and Lili both leaned over the railing, watching in awe. Yuuki nudged her. "Hey, Tegun's ridiculously good! He and Takeshi are really getting into this."

Lili nodded with a gulp. "I don't think I could beat either one of them." She clinched her fist. "To think that he was able to go that far with just his taijutsu."

Kobi and Tsumi both stared themselves. Tsumi shook her head. "Those punches are just a blur from both of them. The only difference is Tegun's seem way faster in comparison."

Kobi nodded. "He's not hiding anything up his sleeve, that's for sure."

-In the Fight-

"Shit man." Tegun got up, rubbing his cheek. As he did, he noticed Takeshi rising up himself. He laughed in his head. "You tough bastard. Why don't you stay down for a minute?"

Takeshi shook his head with a calm expression, spitting blood out to the side. "Stop hitting me with pillows then." Takeshi began to channel chakra into his hand.

Tegun's eyes widened. _Is he serious? That's one of his trump moves!_ The lightning ninja sped off towards him, but was forced to dodge several times. "Takeshi, what are you doing? Using the Chidori too much will get you into trouble."

Takeshi had formed his chidori into a long blade that he was able to whip around like a blade. Tegun masterfully weaved in towards him and prepared to strike, but in his other hand, Takeshi had been compressing massive amounts of lightning chakra. Tegun was unable to pull back. "Raiton: Sanda Appu!" In a blinding flash, an explosive force tossed Tegun back like a rag doll. As he was in the air, Takeshi closed in with his strongest right jab and proceeded to form another chidori, smashing his fist into the ground as they both made contact with the ground. Tegun's eyes remained widened as the dust settled before slowly relaxing. He let out a laugh. "Looks like I still have a ways to go, huh?"

Takeshi pulled off, sitting down himself. "Shut it." Takeshi took in a deep breath, feeling the fatigue. "Why do I always get the toughest fights?"

Tegun rolled up. "Who knows? Maybe it's because you're the toughest fighter."

Takeshi laughed with his friend, subtly looking over to Datsu in the terrace. _I don't know about that._

The announcer finally mustered the courage to make the verdict. "Takeshi could have ended his opponent right there, the battle is over!" The crowd erupted in applause as the man continued. "My goodness, how was Takeshi able to win under all that pressure from Tegun? What a battle! I dare say it was one of the fastest, painful looking fights I've witnessed!"

The crowd noise remained steady as the commentator finished up. "Tegun was ranked as the ninth strongest competitor, making him the highest rank defeated so far!"

-Combatants Terrace-

"WHAT?" Lili puffed her cheeks, still grilling Tegun about his performance. "There's absolutely no way you're five positions stronger than me!"

Tegun laughed cautiously. "Well, Koari didn't really count, right? That means it's only four technically."

Lili poked his chest, making him raise his hands in defense. "Don't go trying to butter me up! We're going to have to fight soon so I can prove myself!"

Takeshi plopped down, letting out a sigh. Kobi rolled his head over to him. "Nice fight." Takeshi nodded, but Kobi just looked ahead. "You did what you had to, but that was a lot of chakra you used. Be careful in the next fight, alright?"

Takeshi pulled back, taking another look at Kobi. _He's not that impressed, is he?_ Takeshi shook his head. _That idiot. I'm sure he's trying to play it cool since he still has a girlfriend after all this time._ The Uchiha sulked once more before looking back over towards the Hell's Phoenix members. _They seem to be really enjoying themselves_. Takeshi got on his feet, nudging Yuuki. "Hey, you sure they're your friends?"

Yuuki diverted her attention to the screen, awaiting the next fight. "Why don't you go find out?" Takeshi scoffed in a more light-hearted way as he took her advice. As he left, her eyes drifted over to him. She felt a slight annoyance on her face, looking at the Uchiha. _Honestly...he's still an idiot after all this time. Blowing through chakra, acting all tough, and still churning out wins._ She watched as he nervously introduced himself. Clearly something was funny because Yuuhi and Ryoku busted out laughing. They allowed him to sit, making Yuuki's eyes twitch slightly. _It's been this long...I'm not jealous, am I?_

Finally, the next match flashed up on the screen. Lili grew excited, seeing the two names pop up. "Wow, another good one! Hotaru vs. Hoshido. Brother vs. sister."

Tsumi leaned in. "Oh yeah? This is an interesting one. I still haven't gotten over that crafty bastards trap he used on my clones." Kobi sulked down in a slump, causing her to rub his back. "Aww, what's wrong Kobi?"

He responded in a deadened tone. "I'm the last fight...again!"

Tsumi pulled back, crossing her arms in annoyance. "Seriously...still such a child about some things."

-Arena-

"This is a good one folks! Hotaru is not only Hoshido's former sensei, but also his sister. She has a lot of experience, but will Hoshido find a way to beat her? Let's find out already! Fighters, begin!"

-ITS A TRAP-

Hoshido quickly retreated, gauging his sisters approach. His eyes glinted as she closed in. _There she goes, putting traps down in the blink of an eye. There's really only one option here._

Hoshido parried her ninja tools as he swung around to play into her ploy. Hotaru squinted. _What's he up to? I know he saw at least one of my traps._ She smiled. "Long time no see, Hoshido! You look well." The two of them continued to trade blows as Hoshido backed up towards her most obvious trap. _I get it. He's probably going to try and get me to fall into it or dodge at the last second. Either way, he's headed right into my web._

Hoshido smirked. "You already know small talk doesn't distract me." Hoshido sighed. _Work or not, this is going to hurt._ Just as he approached the trap, Hotaru prepared to press the attack in the direction he moved. However, Hoshido backed right into the obvious trap, triggering an explosion.

Hotaru felt shock rush over her face as her brother was smashed right into her. They both went to the ground. She rolled over, shaking her head. "What the...Hoshido!" Just as she approached his burnt up body, she heard a hiss from her chest. Before she could respond, her body locked up and collapsed. "No way..."

Hoshido rolled over, coughing. "Damn, that was incredibly reckless." He turned his face to her's with a smile. "Elicit emotional response after performing an unthinkably stupid mistake. Hope to keep the damage minimal to ensure a victory."

Hotaru laid there, sighing in relief and chuckling. "You finally got me, Hoshido." She scowled at him. "Don't ever do that again. You couldn't have known the caliber of explosives I intended to use there."

Hoshido walked over, holding a blade to her throat. "But I do; no matter how unlikely, should I have gotten hit by that explosive, you wouldn't have let your younger brother get seriously injured. That's the answer I was missing in the past."

The announcer blinked several times. "I...I don't know if it was sheer luck or reckless brilliance, but Hoshido has actually managed to defeat his former sensei! It's amazing, Hotaru, rank 16, has been beaten by her own signature methods!" The crowd grew excited after the brief, yet great showing from the two. Hoshido helped his sister back up to the terrace.

Lili and Tegun both met their former teammate with excitement. "Hoshido, you've grown far more reckless than I remember!" Lili shook her head. "And, surprisingly careless moves from our sensei..."

Hoshido laughed. "Don't get used to it. I knew I couldn't have won without doing something I'd never do."

Tegun pumped his fist. "You hear the ranking? Even though we don't technically know your's, we've all surpassed Hotaru!"

She lifted her arm limply. "Hey now, that's not set in stone yet!"

OoOo

"Well, good luck Yuuhi! Kobi's tough, but you might be able to outsmart him." Takeshi waved her off.

The girl twisted around with a small giggle. "Compared to everyone else here, I don't feel that smart either. I'll probably lose, but I'll try to put on a good performance like you and Tegun did!"

Ryoku pumped his fist. "Knock 'em dead, sis!"

Takeshi watched as Kobi casually rose up and left, leaving Yuuki and Tsumi by themselves. He looked over to them. "Hey, you want to join them? It's a better view."

Kokuten grunted. "I suppose we can. Akiko is someone I can trust."

-Arena-

"Well folks, looks like we're winding up for the final match of the first round. Please put a welcome together for one of the newcomer trio, Yuuhi!" The crowd applauded partially while others began to exit the stadium. The announcer laughed nervously. "Ah, and I almost forgot about him! It's Kobi, from the Chunin exams fight with Datsu! He was quite durable in that fight, but is he really cut out for this kind of tournament?" The man shifted his glasses around. "What's this? I don't see his ninja dog with him..."

Kobi lifted his hand with a laugh. "Ripper's on a lot of missions lately. We don't hardly fight together anymore."

He nodded. "I see. Well-" The announcer let out another sweat. "Woah...you look like a million bucks now!" The commentator caughed awkwardly as some of the women halted, returning their attention. The man smirked. "Good luck you two! Let the battle, begin!"

-Something Odd-

Yuuhi held a determined face while Kobi rubbed his head. "Hey, Yuuhi, right?" She continued her stare. He now scratched his head. "Would you consider giving up? I'm not so sure I want to risk hurting you."

She smirked, dipping low. "Nice try." With a swift pace, she weaved back and forth and all over the area. Kobi smirked, watching the movements. "Shimmering River!"

In the path she made, a massive area exploded in a loud cackle of lightning. Kobi somehow jumped out of the area, with a subtle panic on his face. "Ow, ow, ow! Easy there, you trying to kill me?"

Yuuhi pulled back as the audience laughed and cheered. _No way! I don't care who it is, no one should have been fast enough to get out of that!_ Kobi crossed his arms in a quiet tone. "Hey, nice kekkei genkai Yuuhi. I see it uses wind and lightning. However, if you don't have anything aside from that, I'd suggest you take my earlier advice."

Yuuhi clinched her fist. "I get it. You're putting up a facade to mask how you've changed from the past." Yuuhi smirked, looking back to him. "You're not the only one. I've been hiding a technique; even from my brother." Kobi observed carefully as she channeled chakra rapidly throughout her body. Finally, she focused a refined amount to her brain. "Unlock!" In a faster charge, Yuuhi pelted him in the chest, unleashing every combination she knew against him. Kobi was quick to recover, prepared to deliver a kick. However, she was in position to dodge it, charging her body more. "Shimmering Hurricane!" Her movements grew rapid and before long, an exceptional amount of lightning and powerfully fast blows were attempted against Kobi.

He parried some of them, but was struck by quite a few before getting sent to the ground. Yuuhi gasped, falling to her knees. The crowd applauded when it had seemed Kobi lost, but before they knew it, he had made it to his feet. Yuuhi gasped. _This guy...what is he hiding?_ Kobi stretched with an excited look. "That technique...it was quite amazing! I dare say with more experience you would have been a great contender in this tournament!" He scratched his cheek. "Just checking, but that wasn't a kekkei genkai, was it?"

Yuuhi sighed, lifting an arm to signal her defeat. "No, it wasn't." She cheered up quickly. "You're far stronger than I expected!"

Kobi waved her off. "That's not important. What's important is that you have a great potential in you. All three of you, honestly."

Yuuhi nodded as the commentator swooped in. "It's all over, folks! What an unorthodox win for Kobi: He only made a single motion to attack. If not for his durability and Yuuhi's lack there of, it looks like he wouldn't have stood much of a chance." The crowd held some boos in them, making the announcer push his glasses up. "Don't be so quick to judge, ladies and Gents. For all we know, any one of these ninja can reach the finals." The crowd grew more silent as he lifted his hand. "The first round is officially over! Write your brackets and place your bets now folks! We'll commence the next round in two hours. After that, the quarter finals will commence tomorrow."

-Judges Booth-

The five ninja picked themselves up and departed. Once inside a secure room, they began their discussion. Naruto cleared his throat. "Well, Kiba wasn't technically invited, but given the situation, it doesn't really matter." Naruto looked over to Shikamaru. "Since it's all clear, what are your impressions of their progress."

Shikamaru cleared his throat. "These stats don't lie...mostly. The winners of each match knew their opponent or the losers knew they wouldn't win in the situation. I would have loved to see more of the actual fighting in some cases, but as it stands right now, any one of these kids could have been able to beat Yuuki and her personae in the Chunin exams."

Kiba scratched his head. "I don't know...Kobi is incredibly fast now, but I don't think he's got the wits to keep up against his peers."

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Don't assume things."

Konohamaru said nothing, only nodding in agreement with Sasuke.

Naruto crossed his arms. "Tegun's skill in taijutsu reminds me of Lee, but with punches only. Takeshi was impressive to take him on, but he sure did use up a lot of chakra."

Sasuke scoffed, looking away. "He isn't exactly going to get a whole lot of time to recover from the blood loss either."

Shikamaru nodded his head, placing a paper in front of them. "Now on to the most important part." Shikamaru cleared his throat. "Everyone place your bets now! You're allowed to do variants depending on if Isami forfeits or not. That means a total of four variations per person."

Naruto pumped his fist. "Loser has to buy drinks for five years!"

Kiba waved his hands. "Hey now, I don't even really drink! I shouldn't have to do this!"

Sasuke pointed his blade at him. "Too late. That changed the minute you decided to meddle in the judges booth."

Shikamaru coughed. "Right. Obviously, none of you but me have seen the stat cards in their entirety, so I think I shouldn't be included in this."

Naruto scoffed. "Whatever! I don't care if you know the stats or not, you'll be joining us Shikamaru." He scratched his cheek. "Just out of curiosity, how many upsets were there in the first round?"

Shikamaru crossed his arms. "Three: Zente, Tekkaku, and Hoshido. It's going to be interesting from here on."

Kiba looked at the bracket in front of him, letting out a sigh. _I'm probably going to lose. I don't think there's been a bracket event where I wasn't last._

Sasuke knocked out all of his brackets and put it in the box. Naruto and Shikamaru pulled back. "I think I've already won."

Naruto cuffed his fist. "It's not something to decide so simply, jerk off!"

Konohamaru exhaled smoke, used to the banter by now. "Cool it, Naruto. He's just trying to get in our heads."

Shikamaru let out a sweat. _Sasuke's infamous record of victory in brackets is_ _still_ _intimidating. I must consider things carefully._

-Combatants Break Lounge-

"Alright, hurry it up!" Karui planted her hand on the table several times, rushing the group. "You know the drill, only first round losers can do a bracket and everyone but the high jonin can guess the final four, two, and the winner. If I catch you cheating, I'll get Ice Dragonlord Koari to freeze you for one eternity!" The group stopped what they were doing as Karui looked over to him. "You can do that, right?"

Koari grew an amused look on his face. "Mortals are intriguing over the dumbest things. Sure, I can do that." He glanced over the crowd. "I'll be watching all of you for dishonesty then."

Yuuki face-palmed at the duo. Isami nudged her to interrupt her lament. "He's an interesting character, isn't he?"

She nodded. "He's very disconnected, that's for sure. Still, there's no denying his power. Frankly, I don't know why he is still here." Yuuki turned to him with a grin. "I'm sure you can make it to the finals. I know what's in my way, but I'm not going to stop until I win this one to." Isami laughed nervously, making her shake her head. "Honestly..." She looked back to him. "If you are going to give up, it better be someone who's going to make me break a sweat."

Her brother began to whistle. "I don't know what you're talking about."

-End-

A/N

There, the first stage of the tournament is down. 15 more fights to go! You'll see a decent mix of action and story in the next one. The announcer is modeled off of the announcer from the dragon ball series. He's certainly a different type from Isami as a commentator, but I like the idea. Hopefully those were some satisfying fights for you!


	4. Bringing Down the House

**Chapter 4: Bringing Down the House**

-private meeting room-

Isami leaned back in his chair, sighing. "Alright, is there anything actually pressing for us to talk about?"

Hitomi shook her head. "Honestly...you could try to be a bit more formal."

Nia and Yuuki looked between each other with a shrug. Nia returned her gaze. "I've been looking, but everything seems surprisingly normal."

Yuuki nodded her head. "I don't think we're going to get any problems out of this event. Everyone has been identified and accounted for."

Hitomi crossed her arms with a sigh. "Why did we have this meeting anyways?"

Isami kicked himself up to a seated position. "This should be the only one we have in these next few days. We know Hell's Phoenix isn't going to do a thing and the rouge members aren't going to risk drawing attention to an attack. Not when we've got shadow clones from the leaf here."

Yuuki rested her head on her arm. "So you're saying we can go all out if need be?"

Isami nodded his head. "I don't see why not. I'm not going to just in case, but that should be enough in the event something happens. Someone has to heal you up when you fight each other."

Nia looked over. "Are you going to forfeit the next round?"

Isami shook his head. "I don't think so. Tekkaku probably won't be a great match up for either Chojiko or Inora. Besides, I've got something I need to get across to him." Isami rubbed his head. "I'd be lying if I said I wasn't interested in the bottom group of the bracket as well. I'll make my decision when it comes to round three."

Nia crossed her arms. "I'm assuming you aren't planning on giving up, are you Hitomi?"

Hitomi winked. "Not a chance! We haven't gotten a chance to see what each other can do. Besides, between the two of us, we'll get to see the extent of how Yuuki's training has paid off."

The girl clinched her fist. "It seems like yesterday that I was looking at your backs. I'm sure Kumi feels the same way. I think there's a couple wild cards here."

Isami looked around, letting out a sigh. "As strange as it is, I wish there were a couple more High Jonin. It feels kinda sad with just us. I mean, they told us to have meetings, but there's really nothing more to discuss."

Hitomi put a finger on her lips. "Why don't we make a guess as to who here has the potential for a promotion?" She lifted a hand. "My money's on Tsumi."

Isami crossed his legs, giving a frown. "Not fair, getting the first pick." He looked around. "I need to think."

Nia narrowed her eyes. "I was going to say that to. As far as the soonest...Takeshi did an excellent job competing with that taijutsu. He's pretty clear headed as well."

Their eyes focused on Yuuki, who let out a sweat. Isami's eye opened at the reaction. She cleared her throat. "Well, I had one in mind, but now I'm actually torn in two. I'll write down the one I think is more likely, but I'll go out on a limb and say Datsu has the potential."

Their focus returned to Isami, who laughed. "Oh, we're all doing different choices then?" He pointed at Yuuki's written paper. "Don't bother with that; it's probably my pick. I've only got a hunch, but I think it will actually be-"

-Round Two Begins-

The noisy crowd grew silent as they heard the test of the mic. The announcer coughed. "Well, I hope everyone enjoyed the break. There's really so much to do around this resort. Sure, you have to travel away from the beach to see some of it, but trust me, it's worth it." He turned his attention to the judge's booth to ensure everyone was there. Finally, he lifted his hand. "I hope you're ready to see some more action! The fights are only going to get more suspenseful from here, but don't forget, there may even be some forfeits!"

Tsumi and Zente appeared before him, already prepared to start. He sweat as Zente cracked his knuckles. "So, you really weren't just messing around that whole time, were you?"

Tsumi grinned, hoping around a bit to pump herself up. "There's a coming crisis. I'm not going to be under-prepared for it. The question you should be asking is how long you can last against me."

Zente pulled back with a laugh, getting his weapons ready. "You've always had some great confidence, kid. We'll just see what you can back it up with."

The announcer pumped his fist. "The competitors are eager to fight. There is a semblance of familiarity I can sense, but it would appear as though they don't fight regularly. Just from the first match, it was clear that Tsumi has upped her game. However, Zente was impressive in his own right against Asumaru. Let's find out who will advance to the quarter finals! Let the battle begin!"

-Lost in the Crowd-

Zente immediately lead off with several kunai and got close to prevent Tsumi from using any jutsu. However, Tsumi pounded the ground with a mass of chakra in her hand, obliterating the floor in a twenty meter radius. The announcer shriveled behind the judges booth as Zente descended from his reactive jump. "Tajuu Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" In the blink of an eye, there were over a hundred clones of Tsumi.

Zente let out a cold sweat. _Even though I've gotten over my fear of crowds of girls, this is unexpected. She went from fast, fluid taijutsu to destroying the majority of the fighting area in one power punch!_ The man kept a level head, backing up to the remaining arena. "Your taijutsu has a lot of faces to it, doesn't it? I'm curious if your clones are enough to put me down though. I'm not so easy." He clinched his weapons, paying close attention.

Tsumi grinned, pushing forward with her clones. "Don't get cocky!" As the mass of clones rushed in, Zente put all his focus into finishing off as many as possible while trying to keep track of the original. Wave after wave, he jumped, rolled, blocked, deflected, and countered over thirty clones. He had still managed to keep an eye on the original, finally throwing a few shurikens at her. "Back at you! It's not over yet!"

Tsumi managed to deflect the shurikens with chakra with an amused look over her face. _He's got an impressive attention to detail. But..._ She grinned wider. "Alright everyone! Bunshin no Jutsu!"

The remaining clones each made five identical illusions of themselves and pressed the attack. Zente panicked as he struggled to decipher what was an illusion and what was a clone. _You gotta be joking._ He began to take few hits and gashes from Kunai. _Only the Sharingan or the Byakugan could keep up with this. I've completely lost her!_

Tsumi shouted out. "Enough of this! Let's play some pinball!"

Zente's eyes barely caught one of Tsumi's clones as it used a heavenly spin. "Oh shit!" After that, the clones proceeded to knock him around over and over until finally they released all at once. Tsumi was high in the air with her fist charged with an intense amount of chakra. Zente began to fall, seeing her falling after him. _That much chakra...she could obliterate me!_

Just as he hit the ground, Tsumi's fist landed to the side of his head, blasting a concentrated hole into the ground. Zente felt paralyzed after glancing in the hole. Tsumi activated her byakugan. "Not bad, that one made it five-hundred meters deep!"

Zente paled. "Even if it would have been twenty, that would have made the same result! A hole through me!"

Tsumi pulled off, crossing her arms. "Oh, come on. Obviously I'm not going to hit you with it, so why not get a workout from it?"

Zente's jaw remained open for a moment. "You...you really aren't tired after using all of that chakra?"

Tsumi pulled him up, dusting him off. "I told you. Listen, my dad still has the most chakra, but I'm second, understand? I still have over half in the tank!"

Zente's feet wobbled over the already destroyed arena as the announcer stumbled his way to the fighters. The announcer adjusted his glasses a few times before waving his arms. "In all my years of observing and calling matches, I've never seen a single fist destroy so much area! For a minute, all I saw was over three-hundred Tsumi's! I'm surprised Zente is able to stand, Tsumi is hands down the victor!"

The crowd exploded in cheer, chanting her name over and over. Tsumi took some time to appreciate the support before the two fighters headed back to the terrace. The man coughed into the mic. "Folks, the next match will be delayed for about five minutes while we repair the stage." They didn't seem to mind as the screens began to replay the last match.

-Combatants Terrace-

Yuuki gave Tsumi a thumbs up as she made her way back. "Man, I haven't used the plain 'ol bunshins since my fight with Noriko! Nicely done, sis!"

Tsumi sat down and breathed in. "I figured you wouldn't be too impressed with it, but I'm saving the best for you." Her eyes shifted over to Kumi, who sat there with a slightly disappointed look on her face. "Of course, that is if you get passed Kumi.

Kumi looked up with a blush. "Hah, that's right!" She looked down, as if trying to calm her nerves. "I'm still trying to come to the terms with the fact that I'm seeing everyone as equals now."

Yuuki felt the phrase reverberate in her before smiling. "Don't get in over your head now! I'm a high Jonin, after all."

Kumi laughed nervously, rubbing her head. "You're right, but that doesn't mean you aren't my rival."

Meanwhile, Zente plopped down with Nia, Kochi, and Karui. "Whew, she really did practice a lot. I didn't think she even needed to honestly."

Karui nodded her head in excitement. "Everyone here is pretty impressive! Nia is the only one of us still repping the crew."

Nia glanced over in mild amusement. "The only one I'm 'repping' is myself. Besides, I think Kochi would have made it much further had she not fought Hitomi."

Kochi rubbed her head with an anxious laugh. "Even if you say that, there are at least ten other fighters stronger than me here. I'm glad I was able to see the look on Hitomi's face when I was actually making her sweat."

Zente crossed his arms, seeing Yuuki pester Kumi a bit more before they were on their way to the battle ground. "It's amazing." Karui and Nia looked over to him, seeing a smile. "If it weren't for Yuuki and Isami, who knows where we would have ended up." The silence made him redden and laugh. "Don't pay attention to me, just thinking out loud. I'm sure glad we came down this road." The group nodded, focusing their attention where everyone else was.

OoOo

The two stood apart, both with their arms crossed in a confident pose. The announcer covered his ears as the audience rumbled and roared. After a couple dozen seconds, he finally got a word in. "I don't think anything I could say would make anyone here more excited! Kumi obliterated her Chuunin exams, but before she did that, Yuuki squared off in one of the highest caliber Chunin exams in history. It's time to find out just how good these two fighters are. I can't even wait! Yuuki, Kumi, begin!"

-Undying Bonds-

Both girls activated their byakugan immediately. Kumi got in a low stance and put on a serious face. "Looking back at that time, I can't believe how far you've come. It seems like yesterday you showed me the shadow clone technique."

Yuuki smiled at the sentiment before getting in a stance herself. "You still want tips on acing a test?" The two chuckled in amusement before Kumi charged forward. Yuuki remained on defense, allowing Kumi to begin a gentle fist assault. The two of them expertly parried and dodged each other's attacks until it seemed like they were intentionally not trying to land a hit.

Yuuki let out a sweat. "You've sure come a long way, haven't you? Don't mess up now."

Kumi intentionally showed a gap, trying to get Yuuki to bite, but instead was force into a defensive stance. "You're not underestimating me?" Kumi smirked, leaping back to gain some ground. "I'm certain we would end up wasting energy at this rate."

Yuuki brushed her hair aside with a matching smirk. "Unless you want to try and get cute like you just did. You certainly passed that test."

Kumi put her hands together, focusing hard. "Kage Jinbutsu!" Yuuki pulled back, seeing stylishly armored girl appear next to Kumi. Her deep crimson hair was pulled back in a ponytail and body fit in every area. Her armor was form fitting and didn't allow for any skin to show except near the elbows and the knee area. The girl drew one of the two swords from her back and pointed towards Yuuki.

The crowd stunned in silence as Yuuki took a cautious look. "You...you managed to figure out how to use personae?"

Kumi shook her head. "Just one. This here is Enyou. I've been waiting to show everyone, but this is the ideal situation."

Enyou held the katana reverse and stood tall. "Kumi has been training harder than anyone else in her age group. You are the reason for that." She dipped lower, placing her hand on the second blade. "Even if we lose this fight, it won't be quietly."

Yuuki touched her thigh, summoning a sword herself. "I don't have to tell you the risk that comes with this technique, Kumi." Yuuki grabbed the blade now with two hands. "I'm willing to see what Enyou can do. If you feel like it, you can join in to."

Enyou looked to Kumi, who gave her a nod of approval. The persona now looked back to Yuuki and closed her eyes. "I see you are not going to use a persona yourself...it's a pity." Yuuki gripped her sword, awaiting for Enyou to close in. Enyou opened her eyes, still holding a confident aura. "I was hoping to see how I fared against the one you call Mari."

In a burst of speed, Yuuki gasped, blocking the fluent and deceptive sword style that Enyou used. The persona pulled back and crossed her sword across Yuuki's. As it passed, Yuuki struck down over head, but Enyou casually unsheathed her other sword just enough to catch her blade. Now, she motioned as if she was about to strike with her other hand, but it turned into a push away and used her other sword to attack. Yuuki grunted, taking the forceful swing against her own blade as she only now saw Enyou had hidden the first sword on her back using chakra. Enyou's eyes jolted, knowing her ploy had been caught. She puffed up her cheeks, finally spitting out a jutsu. "Komakai Kaki!"

A few small fireballs spewed out as Yuuki channeled water into her sword to douse them. She focused as Enyou began using a few odd hand seals. With a quick leap high in the air, Enyou put her hand to her mouth. "Katon: Gouka Messhitsu!"

Yuuki laughed nervously as an extremely powerful stream of fire chakra zoned in on her. She held her hand forward, forming a Rasengan. Finally, she imbued it with chakra just as the fire hit. A massive hiss reverberated through the area. Datsu stood up, seeing the trail of steam travel towards Enyou. _That technique!_

Finally, Enyou's eyes grew in shock as Yuuki came crashing through the fire jutsu and slammed her with what was left of the rasengan. Water gushed out over the top and flooded down to the arena where Yuuki landed. An immense fog now coated the area. They could hear Yuuki shout out a technique. "Fuuton: Daitoppa!" In a cool burst of wind, the dense steam was pushed up and out of the entire arena and now only Yuuki and Kumi remained.

Yuuki narrowed her eyes at Kumi as she was now clad in armor and held a sword. The Uzumaki shook her head. "I know you knew I could do something about that technique, but honestly...Aiming an S ranked technique at your boss?"

Kumi tightened and relaxed her open fist, smirking at Yuuki. "There were a lot of things I expected you to do, but march straight through the flames was not one of them. What was that?"

Yuuki prepared herself. "Force my hand and you might see it again. I was wondering why I didn't recognize those hand seals, but I get it now." Kumi pulled back, tightening her grip on the sword. "You found a way to combine certain hand seals to significantly reduce the hand seals you need and add a burst of power to your chakra."

Kumi stumbled a little bit. "You...really figured it out that fast?" She shook her head. "No matter." She channeled a strong flame into her sword. "My fire chakra is a level beyond anything you've seen. I'll burn straight through your defense!"

Kumi closed in quickly as Yuuki channeled water into her blade. To her surprise, Kumi's fire was too intense and was beginning to break through her chakra. _It's not just her ability to use fire at the highest level; it's really as if her chakra is naturally better!_

On a dime, Yuuki twisted and blindsided Kumi with a kick while swinging her blade to the side. It coated itself in a sharp ice. anyone could see the immense chill that swept over it. Kumi staggered slightly as Yuuki closed in. Within a few blows to her sword, Kumi's flames died out. "What the!" She tossed the blade aside, holding her hand as Yuuki then motioned to point her sword forward. However, Kumi was conscious enough to kick Yuuki's arm away and gain distance. Yuuki planted her sword in the ground and waited for her rival's move. Kumi clinched her hands a few times. "The ice-release...you really learned to use it."

With a burst of chakra into the sword, ice coated the area in a fifteen meter radius, also grabbing hold of Kumi's feet. She felt the biting cold over her armor and numbing her feet. Yuuki stared at her. "Be careful not to get lost in the moment. I could have frozen you solid."

Kumi let out a sweat. "You're kidding!" She jolted, looking behind her to see a clone of Yuuki's frozen clean through behind her. "What? How, and when?"

Yuuki propped her sword on her shoulder. "When the steam set in. I simply hid a clone in your shadow."

Kumi became overwhelmed with emotions, tossing her other sword to the side. She didn't show her frustration. With a calm raise of her hand, she said. "This fight is over. I did my best."

The ice released and Yuuki sealed her sword away as the crowd frenzied in applause. Naruto and Konohamaru stood in applause themselves, seeing their children display such impressive techniques. The announcer wiped the sweat of his face. "There you have it, folks! What's with Yuuki now? First a light show and now an ice-cold touch. Kumi was amazing to! Using Yuuki's own technique and actually making her sweat a little isn't as simple as it sounds. Kumi was ranked, impressively, at 11th! That's eleven out of thirty-two of the best fighters around. Holy smokes!"

The crowd noise echoed the entire time Kumi and Yuuki made their way up to the terrace.

-combatants terrace-

The two were flooded with compliments as they made their way back. Kobi pulled Kumi aside for a moment and Yuuki felt a little crowded. "Before you ask, yes, it was ice. Cat's outta the bag. We can talk about it one-on-one if we have to." The chatter died down as they returned to their own conversations. Datsu crossed his arms at Yuuki, separate from others. She rubbed her head.

Datsu seemed mildly annoyed. "Since when did you find out how to use the water rasengan?"

Yuuki sighed. "I know how much you wanted to be the first to do it, so I didn't feel like telling you about it." She lifted her head to see him deflate. She felt her throat tighten up.

He scratched his head. "You're always too focused on stuff that you can't see the bigger picture, Yuuki." Her eye's saddened, hearing the truth come from his mouth. Suddenly, she felt his hand on her shoulder with a cheeky grin on. "I've been hiding things to, you know? Between you and me, I figured out how to do Suiton: Rasengan about a year ago."

Yuuki laughed, before pushing off and acting mad. "For a second I almost thought you wanted my pity."

Datsu crossed his arms with a tough guy face. "I don't need anyone's pity!" After a moment, the two laughed between each other.

OoOo

Kobi nodded, understanding Kumi's explanation. "You've got a good eye. To be honest, I was surprised a couple of times in that match. You're really a great rival for Yuuki."

Kumi blushed with a smile. "Thanks Kobi. It's frustrating that I couldn't do everything I wanted, but she really shut me down once she noticed my chakra." She narrowed her eyes. "Who knows, you might actually get to fight her if you make it to the finals."

Kobi laughed, waving her off. "Easy there, I've got some hurdles of my own to jump. Just remember what I taught you and you'll be able to turn some more heads in no time!" Kobi heard the announcement and pointed with his thumb. "Hey, this is going to be a good fight. Come on."

OoOoOoOo

"We're moving into the next battle, folks!" He pointed towards the heavily armed swordsman. "Kaito has been turning heads since day one with his unbelievable swordsmanship. However, now he must square off against one of the High Jonin, Nia!" As the crowd roared, Nia let out a nervous sweat as she judged Kaito. The announcer stepped aside. "Katio vs. Nia. Let the match begin!"

-Savages-

Nia briefly spoke, getting in combat readiness. "I've seen your progress. I'm not going to overlook any minor detail."

Kaito let out a rare sweat himself, opening his eyes and drawing his blades. "I suppose this will be a rather quick fight then."

Nia let out her amber aura and retreated backwards. Before she could finish a sequence of hand seals, she was forced to dodge around. Kaito's blades let off a blue glow as he swung chakra blast at her. They sliced chunks out of the land and allowed him to get in close to her. With a rapid series off attacks, he managed to push back Nia's aura and strike at her. However, she had concealed a small, dense dagger herself and parried his attacks. With a smirk, she gained energy. "Overdrive!"

Lightning encased Kaito as a blast of fire pushed him back. Now, several shots of electrifying inferno beams blasted at him before Nia was finally able to finish her hand seals. She planted both hands in the ground and her aura disappeared. Nia smirked as Kaito stepped forward. "Hell's judgment!"

Quickly, Kaito jumped back as a massive burst of flames and electricity erupted from the ground. After a moment, Kaito sensed danger and began to spin rapidly with both swords on either side. Suddenly, a massive array of similar, yet smaller flames erupted under him and tossed him in the air. After five seconds of the wild barrage, Kaito landed and was free to regain his breath. The rotations of his blades were able to mitigate the damage from the attack, but pain seared his body. On top of the several burns covering his body, his muscles jerked around from the electricity. However, he was able to lift his head. With grit, he grabbed his swords tightly, rising to a run to take any opening. However, he froze his attack, seeing Nia with both hands in the air. She grinned slightly. "So, do you wanna see what heavenly judgment is like?"

Kaito paused, flipping his swords to the side with a smile. He lifted his hand. "I still have much to learn, it would seem."

Nia nodded, gathering the cloud of amber chakra to her and sending it out to the sky. "The same goes for me. I had to resort to using the majority of my chakra. If it weren't for my amber aura, you probably would have won easily."

The announcer stumbled, avoiding the holes in the ground for fear of flames jumping out under him. "Well, there you have it folks. Kaito has surrendered, not so sure he was able to tank Nia's final attack. Kaito was ranked 19th overall." The announcer fiddled his glasses as Shikamaru handed him a sheet paper. The announcer trembled, reviewing the notes. "It would appear that while it's impressive Kaito rated this way on the ninja scale, Shikamaru, the designer of the stat sheets, has advised me his expected rank of skill actually rates in the range of fourth to eighth in fighting ability. Who knew?"

The crowd gasped and gossiped over the man's strength before applauding him fully. Nia let out a sigh as they made their way to the terrace. "You know, if you really focus on extending the range and area of attack on your ability, you could probably be a High Jonin in no time."

Kaito smirked, nodding his head. "I don't wish to be one. I have my own path to travel."

As they approached their seats to unwind, Hitomi and Nagi had already departed towards the battle ground. The announcer clicked his glasses up, eager to see the fight. "Hope you didn't plan on going anywhere. The next fight is already about to start! He showed just how commanding he could be in the first round of the Chunin exams, but Takeshi was quick to down him in the second. Will history repeat itself, this time with Uchiha Hitomi?" The crowd went wild and the announcer moved aside, signaling the match to begin.

-Like a Tool-

Nagi summoned an absolutely massive scroll as Hitomi plainly watched. He pumped his fist with a grin. "I'm not the same as before. I've been practicing with Isami, Takeshi, and Tegun! I'll put up a fight!" With his byakugan active, he proceeded to summon two clones and charge Hitomi, leaving behind the scroll.

Hitomi unsheathed her sword, activating her sharingan and summoning ten clones herself. Hitomi grinned. "That's a lot of talk, Nagi. What's the plan now?" She narrowed her eyes as he continued to press her, engaging the original in gentle fist taijutsu. She scoffed, moving around and parrying his moves as her clones went in to attack him. However, she was forced to dodge in the blink of an eye as ninja tools flew by her head at speeds she'd never seen. Her clones were getting destroyed one by one before she finally figured out the issue. "Using wind chakra and marksmanship with a thousand tools; that's almost unfair."

With a burst of chakra under her feet, Nagi stumbled over the created hole while Hitomi already used a jutsu. "Suiton: Mizuame Nababara!" In an instant, Nagi's feet were glued to the floor and arms glued to his side with a sticky substance. Hitomi then created a wall using an earth jutsu and wrapped her arms around Nagi from behind. She whispered in his ears. "So, what do you do now?" His eye's widened, realizing the situation. She still spoke softly, but louder. "You can't use heavenly spin if you can't move your feet. You can't defend yourself without your arms. Oh, and I could have killed you simply when you stumbled over that hole. Any surprises?"

Nagi gritted his teeth as Hitomi released her hold over him. He lifted his hand. "It's shameful, but I've been beaten."

The announcer nodded his head as he approached. "Nagi certainly learned some powerful tricks, but Hitomi has once again made it look easy! Nagi was rated at number ten, astonishingly great out of the group. But, that's what happens when you are faced with a mismatch. Let's hear it!" The crowd grew excited, but clearly starting to wear out from all the cheering.

-Combatants Terrace-

Takeshi punched Nagi in the arm. "Dude, why did you send yourself in after my sister? You could have accomplished the same thing with a clone."

Nagi rubbed his head. "Well, I didn't want to draw attention to the rapid-fire tool technique. I would have lost regardless."

Nagi felt a familiar hard slap across his back. "That's the spirit!"

Takeshi and Nagi looked at him with no expression. Nagi shook his head. "Your sarcasm is noted."

Isami jumped up, but there seemed to be very little enthusiasm in the terrace. Tekkaku swiftly ran to the arena in excitement.

OoOo

"He put on a shocking show against Nezero, managing to beat him with grit and determination. He's the only Nara to make it to the second round, Tekkaku!" The crowd cheered as the commentator pointed to Isami. "No introduction needed." The wild crowd faded out and the man gave his signal. "Fighters, begin!"

-Enough Games-

Isami crossed his arms in a serious demeanor as the man jumped around and fidgeted. "It's like old times, right Isami? I've been sparring against everyone ever since I started with you." He pumped his fist. "I think I have almost as much fighting experience as the Hokage now!"

Isami didn't do anything but shake his head. "Tekkaku." The man looked to his old spar partner. "You know that sparring only gets you so far." Tekkaku laughed nervously. Isami glared at him. "Your raw talent is impressive, but that's not what matters. The Hokage has seen war, Tekkaku. I don't mean this in a degrading way, but-" In a flash, a clone appeared behind Tekkaku and kicked him toward Isami, who reared back. With a stern collision to the face aided by chakra, Isami yelled. "Start being a man!" The Nara was forcibly launched fifty meters and crashed against the wall, falling to the ground in defeat.

The crowd gasped as Isami eyed the judge, who panicked slightly. "I-It would appear as though Isami has defeated Tekkaku in a single blow. It sounded like more of a lecture. Tekkaku was rated at twenty-eighth overall. It's alright, Tekkaku. This will give you something to work towards!"

Isami approached Tekkaku and slapped him awake. The man pulled back, rubbing his chin. "Isami-san..."

Isami put a hand on his shoulder. "Come on, I know you'll get over that in no time. You've been obsessed with the idea of sparring day and night to beat me. It's clouding your judgment. You've come further than I expected you to, but think about what you can do besides obsessing over fighting, alright? You've got to be able to train outside of fighting."

The Nara nodded and Shikamaru closed his eyes with a warm smile. Shikamaru leaned over to Naruto. "I think he just learned the opposite lesson I learned as a boy."

Naruto leaned in himself. "I didn't even know Isami knew how to be that serious." Sasuke quickly straightened his expression as Naruto glared at him. "Hey, was that a smile on your face just now?"

The Uchiha waved him off. "Isami's an idiot."

Naruto pointed aggressively across Shikamaru. "That's a shit cover up and you know it!"

The Nara let out a sweat, shadow binding them to their seats. The two grunted in rage as they simmered down. "Honestly you two; maybe Isami needs to clobber your faces next."

-Combatants Terrace-

The group was awkwardly silent when Isami and Tekkaku came back up. Whispers lingered, but eventually discussion resumed on it's normal pace.

Ryoku leaned in near Takeshi. "Hey, that's Yuuki's brother, right? Why was he so harsh?"

Takeshi crossed his arms as the group of three leaned in. "Well, I learned Isami has a stern side that can come up out of nowhere. When he wants someone to succeed, but they are stubbornly blocking the road they need to better themselves, that's pretty much how he gets."

Yuuhi looked down as Kokuten nodded his head. "I see. Yes, sometimes people need a reality check to bring out their full potential."

Takeshi got up, looking over to Chojiko. "One sec, my friend and his sister are going to fight next. I need to wish him luck." Takeshi noticed Yuuhi in a slump and nudged her. "Actually, Inora said she wanted to talk with you more herself. It wouldn't hurt wishing her luck as well, right?"

Yuuhi looked at him, nodding. "I suppose."

The two saw off their respective fighters and Takeshi turned to Yuuhi. "Don't get mad, I lied to get you up." She crossed her arms with an annoyed face, looking away. Takeshi panicked. _She's_ _totally_ _mad!_ The Uchiha cleared his throat. "Listen, something about what I said earlier got to you, didn't it? You're letting something stop you from success, aren't you?"

Yuuhi continued to look away. She remained still, but finally turned her head enough to see his face. It held a genuine concern and she relaxed slightly. "It's my brother. I haven't left his side since we were little kids." She shook her head. "I mean, we're nineteen years old now. I should be able to show some of these techniques and moves I can use, but I'm scared to death it will in turn shut him down. No one wants to be shown up by their younger sister, especially when she has a Kekkei Genkai and you don't."

Takeshi rubbed his head. _Aw shit Takeshi. You better give good advice now._ Takeshi put his hand on his hip and the other in the air. "I don't really give out advice, so maybe I'm not the right person to talk to." She nodded, looking away. Takeshi breathed out. "But...I think your brother knows how you feel. I don't mean to sound harsh, but you're probably making him act far tougher than he is because he thinks that's what you want. I know my sister is probably stronger than me, but even if she wasn't, it's the older siblings job to try to set a strong example for their younger sibling." She turned to him fully, listening to what he was saying. Takeshi gave her a confident look. "When Yuuki and I pulled a fast one on Hitomi a while ago, all she showed was relief. If I looked back on it, I wouldn't have made an impact worrying about her pride." Takeshi rubbed his head. "I can't explain it. He'll be stubborn and abrasive if you start showing him up, but I believe the massive release in tension and stress that will follow when you both understand each other will fix your issues; And I bet it will also reverse them."

Yuuhi chuckled slightly, cheering up. "You're not _that_ bad at advice, but you sure need some practice." Takeshi laughed nervously before they quieted down. She looked down to the arena. "So, they're brother and sister, right? Can they relate to us?"

Taksehi sweat nervously, seeing that the fight had already started and that the two were both on relatively equal ground. "Man, how long was I talking?" He shook his head. "Now that you mention it, you see Chojiko there?" She nodded, leaning in closer to see what he pointed at with a smile on her face. Takeshi began to explain Chojiko's struggles in life and how it related to Inora.

OoOo

Kobi slapped at Yuuki, getting her attention away from the fight. "Watch it...watch it..." Yuuki saw Takeshi talking enthusiastically about Chojiko and others and finally saw a look of interest in Yuuhi's eyes. "Boom! He probably doesn't even notice it yet, poor guy."

Yuuki rolled her eyes. "Seriously Kobi, there's a fight going on. Both of our friends are there. Remember?"

Kobi continued to glance over with an excited expression. "Oh, don't be like that Yuuki. Takeshi's finally made a move on someone. Besides, I already know Inora's going to win."

Tsumi put her hand on Kobi's shoulder finally. "Alright, cool your jets now. You have a fight coming up yourself."

Kobi lifted his arms. "Fine, I get it. I'll just start drinking again."

Yuuki looked back over to Takeshi and Yuuhi, tapping her nail to the table. Kobi glanced from time to time, seeing her frustration. Then, he noticed Datsu looking between her and Takeshi every so often. Kobi took a big gulp as he noticed Yuuki subtly glance over to Datsu before returning to the fight. He set his glass down. "Game on, Tsumi."

Yuuki looked as they were both watching the fight, but Tsumi grew wildly excited. She shook her head. _They're so weird now._

-Mind and Body-

"Umph!" Chojiko took a strong hit from Inora. They had both been using the butterfly chakra, but Inora was simply more adept at using it. Chojiko pounded the ground. He looked up to Inora, who had taken some glancing blows herself and appeared to be winded. Chojiko stood up, bracing himself. "As expected, sis. I still am not at your level."

She let out a smirk, stretching her wrist. "You're not doing bad Chojiko. I never would have expected you to get so far without shadow clones or Isami's help."

The man pumped his fist, still showing an energetic expression. "It's all the proof that I needed! I always held myself back like a coward, just assuming that you were more gifted. But that's not it at all; I was just running away and making excuses." Chojiko's chakra faded and he panted heavier once more. "I've managed to avoid your ninjutsu. I've canceled your genjutsu. I was even able to compete with your calorie burn technique." He lifted his hand, putting some shock on her face. "But even more importantly, we still have a deep understanding of each other. I know you're holding something back, so you should save it. I already feel like a weight has been lifted."

Inora felt a joy fill up inside her, but she tried her best to keep it down. "Chojiko...let's just say, I'm glad you're feeling that way." She shook away the tender feelings and jumped back into an upbeat attitude. "Next time, I think we're going to be twins in fighting ability to."

The announcer moved in. "How about that folks? Chojiko is definitely a whole new fighter, but it would seem as though he understands Inora is still a leg up on him. His rank was Twenty-fourth this time, but I have a feeling he could have even gave some of the competitors around the fifteenth slot a good fight! Let's hear it for the siblings, huh?" The crowd let out a pretty decent applause as the fighters made their way back to the terrace.

-Combatants Terrace-

Takeshi patted Chojiko on the back once he made it to the top. "You're looking pretty sharp, buddy."

Chojiko put a hand on his bicep. "Sis knows that if she doesn't keep up her training, I'm going to leave her in the dust. Nothing a bit more hard work can't do." Chojiko looked over to Datsu, who was beginning to move. He leaned in. "Hey, I know you've been working hard to, but I think Datsu is going to be a handful and a half."

Takeshi watched as he moved his way to the center. The Uchiha let out a sweat. "I'm still not at one-hundred percent either. I wonder just how far he's made it."

Yuuhi nudged in. "There's only one way to find out, isn't there?"

Takeshi laughed, rubbing his head. "You're definitely right about that."

OoOoOoOo

The commentator cleared his throat. "You all know Datsu well; he clearly showed a new range of skills against Akano in the first round. He's in the best shape of his life and he's got true grit. However!" The man pointed a hand to Takeshi. "Uchiha Takeshi gave Yuuki a close race in the Chunin exams AND managed to defeat Tegun, one of the greatest close quarters combatant I've ever seen. How will Datsu adjust his game plan? Will it even matter against an Uchiha? Let's find out, fighters, go for it!"

-Rivals In Everything-

Datsu put on a smirk, seeing Takeshi get ready. "Long time no see, red-eyes."

Takeshi returned the expression. "You sure you don't want to give up now and steal away the pleasure?"

Datsu shook his head. "You've lost too much chakra and blood. You won't like the result."

Takeshi paused, taking another look at Datsu. _He's...no. His mental games are still pretty good. Almost had me over-thinking there._ Takeshi crossed his arms, flashing his sharingan. "Your chakra pool has gotten bigger, if that was possible. Just like your ego."

Datsu grinned, dipping down. "Whatever dude. Come at me with everything you got."

Takeshi dug out and threw several kunai as he charged forth. Datsu deflected them, smirking as Takeshi pulled in close. Without using hand seals, Datsu yelled. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

Takeshi barely evaded Datsu's punch as four Datsu clones began using hand seals. Takeshi did his best to interrupt a couple of them, but Datsu managed to get off an unexpected jutsu. The rest of the clones jumped. "Raiton: Shinen!" A massive radius of lightning was planted into the ground and it even caught Takeshi as he was already two meters off the ground. The earth itself crumbled as the Datsu clones from above were quick to act. "Suiton: Suishouha!" Four massive orbs of water came crashing down from high above and Taksehi was dead center of the impact zone. Water completely filled the massive crater as Datsu quickly summoned four more clones.

Takeshi thrust himself out of the water, pressing Datsu back with an extremely fast Taijustu. Datsu began taking hits as several of his other clones were now busy with Takeshi's own shadow clones. Takeshi pulled off after the two of them traded several blows. The Uchiha shook his head, trying to figure it out. "I don't get it; how are you able to hit me when Tegun's punches are so much faster?" _And he doesn't look it, but I feel like punching through a thick wall of metal would be easier._

Datsu thrust his arms to the side, pumping himself up. "You already know the answer to that; you're getting slower the more you're getting injured. The brain has a harder time being on point when you've lost some blood." Datsu stood tall. "But even still, you realize that I have a deep understanding of taijutsu and one of the toughest bodies in the world."

Takeshi let out a sweat as Datsu still had two clones left. _Hey, this isn't funny. Datsu's a badass in a different way now. Not even Isami is as tough as I am, yet I feel like he's on par with me._ They began to prepare jutsus, forcing Takeshi to slam his hand into the water. Datsu jumped off in a hurry. "Raiton: Raikiri!" The water carried a massive current that destroyed both of Datsu's clones and managed to ark out a strike Datsu. Takeshi panted, dropping down into the water. _My chakra was nearly spent on that, but even a tough bastard has no immunity to electricity._

Datsu casually lifted himself out of the water with a dense aura of wind around him. "So, was that all of your chakra then?" Takeshi's eyes returned to normal, making Datsu smirk. "You're still hiding something. Either that, or you just don't want to admit defeat."

Takeshi cursed under his breath. _I didn't want to use this until later, but I don't exactly have a choice._ Takeshi put two fingers against a seal on his arm as Datsu neared him. In a flash, Takeshi's sharingan was active and he had already smashed Datsu in the chest. "Rasengan!" However, Datsu disappeared in a cloud of smoke, making the Uchiha panic.

"Back at you!" Takeshi was struck from underneath by a rasengan and sent flying back, catching the water and regaining his balance ten meters away. Datsu shook his head. "You tough bastard. What has Isami been teaching you now?"

Takeshi regained his composure. "I could say the same to you about Yuuki." Takeshi stuttered, feeling the pain in his stomach. _Not good…_

Datsu finally relaxed his expression. "You're really something. Not many people can take a rasengan to the back and still hold a conversation."

Takeshi shook his head. "I stand on the shoulders of giants, just like you." Takeshi put both hands out to his side, forming a chidori in each hand. "I hate to think that I did it, but I underestimated you too greatly, even though I had figured you were near my level."

Datsu put both of his hands to the side, forming a rasengan in each hand, making Takeshi sweat. Datsu grinned. "Funny. I didn't underestimate you at all." The two stared for a moment. Datsu chuckled. "Well then...shall we?"

Takeshi prepared himself. "If this is the way it's gonna be." The two dashed forward at each other and began trading punches. Datsu winced as he was grazed a few times, but still managed to graze Takeshi a few times. Again and again, the two traded deadly blows. Finally, Takeshi and Datsu collided their jutsus in one hand and made contact with each other on the other hand. A massive blast blew over the area and sent both men flying to the edge of the wall. Takeshi slowly allowed his vision to come back, forcing himself to his knee. _Damnit, I actually hit him. I don't care how tough you are, that will kill someone._ Takeshi looked up. "Datsu!"

To his surprise, the man had forced himself up to his feet. Blood had been gushing from his wound. Suddenly, that blood had stopped as Datsu placed his good hand over it and channeled chakra into it. His right arm was limp, as was Takeshi's. Datsu grinned, slowly walking towards him. "It's not...gonna be that easy."

Takeshi pushed himself up to his feet and planted his back against the wall, breathing heavy. "It's not like you can keep that wound shut and still fight." The Uchiha spit out blood, still unable to push off the wall. "I've got enough chakra for another chidori. Just give up already."

Datsu held his ground, still holding his wound. They were only ten meters away now. Datsu smiled. "If I were the same person I was when I met you, I'd have fought until I was unconscious or dead. That's just how I am." Takeshi panted more, waiting for him to continue. Datsu shook his head. "But I am not that person anymore. Fighting you, fighting Yuuki, and even fighting Hell's Phoenix: The more I reflected, the more I understand that it's better to live to fight another day."

Takeshi put up a smirk. "Never thought I'd hear you say that."

Datsu put on a grin himself. "Even though you have another chidori, you can't use it properly. You've forgotten an important detail."

Takeshi shook his head. "Enough already. I'm starting to think you haven't learned a thing."

Datsu put on a serious face. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" Datsu coughed up blood and went to a knee as a clone appeared, healthy and full of chakra. Takeshi's eyes widened. Datsu laughed. "I've always known it was win or die with me. Every technique I learn, I try to discover how it can keep me alive." The shadow clone now spawned two other clones, each of them forming a rasengan. "So I have a question for you; you've got one chidori and I've still got a decent chunk of chakra. What aces do you have left to play?"

Takeshi shook his head, lifting his hand. "God damn man, you proved your point. Like hell I'm going to risk it. I give up. Well played Datsu."

Datsu jumped up taking his hand off the healing technique. "Woah, no way. You seriously didn't have another trump card?" Takeshi's eyes twitched, seeing the technique sustain itself. Datsu jolted. "Oh, that? Yeah, I was pulling your leg. I don't need a hand to deal with that." He began to wave his other hand. "And this arm was just dislocated, so yeah, I could move it."

Takeshi laughed sliding down the wall. "To think you came so far. I should have prepared my other fuuinjutsu. We could have fought a lot longer."

Datsu pointed aggressively. "Too bad, Takeshi!" Datsu turned to the announcer. "Tell him, voice-man!"

The commentator lifted the mic to his mouth. "I'm...unsure what just happened there. I thought Datsu was a dead man walking, but Uchiha Takeshi is unable to fight." He shook his head. "AMAZING! Datsu has somehow managed to defeat Takeshi! Takeshi was ranked sixth overall in this tournament. You heard that right, sixth!"

The crowd went absolutely crazy as Isami showed up in front of Takeshi. Takeshi rubbed his head as the Uzumaki healed him. Isami sighed. "Honestly, why did I teach that fuuinjutsu if you weren't going to use it? I told you to prepare it _before_ a big fight."

Takeshi laughed. "You're over-reacting! Honest, I was going to do it on the fly until I wrecked my right arm. Guess I need to learn it with my left hand too."

Isami flicked him in the head. "Idiot, just do it before hand. It's not like you can do it more than once anyways. Why take the start up time?"

Takeshi butted heads with him. "I'm telling you, it would make cooler impact that way!"

Isami narrowed his eyes. "It's already cool enough just healing yourself back to full with a slam of your hand. If anything, having to make it first takes away from the shock value."

Datsu slowly headed up the stairs. "Don't mind me, I'll just make my way up the numerous stairs with a hole in my side."

Isami looked back to Takeshi, who was able to stand on his own. The Uchiha let out a sigh. "You're still right in the end. You should probably go catch Datsu though; He'd definitely be the one to die in a lame way like walking up the stairs."

They turned to see him face down, bleeding half way up. Isami shook his head. "Maybe I should leave him like that until he learns."

-Combatants Terrace-

Kobi was quick to help Takeshi into his seat. "Man, I can not believe you didn't prepare better. You would have been able to reversal his reversal in a flash!"

Takeshi shook his head. "I know, I kno-" Takeshi jolted. "Hey, how do you know about that?"

Kobi pulled back with a nervous laugh. "Ah, I just figured you were talking about that thing he did when he fought your dad. Not like I actually know what it entails."

Yuuki and Takeshi leaned in, ready to interrogate Kobi. He let out a sweat. "Oh, look at the time! I've got a match to finish and a drink calling my name."

Tsumi lifted her hand. "Hey, how long will it be? Shot or beverage?"

Kobi lifted his hand. "Round of shots, on me! We gotta hurry up and get ready for tonight! Parties don't plan themselves!"

Yuuki twisted her head around. "What the heck is going on? He's about to fight, why say shots?"

Takeshi shrugged. "Maybe he's going to give up?"

Tsumi called the waiter over after doing head counts. "Round of shots for everyone here." She made a few shadow clones. "We need it quick, so I'll help out!" The bartender agreed nervously.

-Arena-

"So there you have it folks. We haven't been able to see much from Kobi, but we know Hoshido already isn't someone you can put down easily. Prepare for a long one! Fighters, let the final match of the night, begin!"

-Ain't Nobody Got Time for That-

Kobi rubbed his head. "Hey, Hoshido. Nothing personal, but could you please just give up? I've got a lot of stuff to prepare for tonight."

Hoshido rubbed his chin. "If it's so pressing, you give up. I don't plan on going down to anyone without a fight."

Kobi sighed. "Last chance."

Hoshido prepared himself. "I told you, I'm-" In a flash, Kobi's fist was practically driven through Hoshido's solar plexus. The man now flew a few meters and landed unconscious.

Kobi turned to the announcer. "Hey, can we get a wrap up here?" The man blinked a couple times as Kobi rolled his eyes walking over to Hoshido. He pulled out a kunai. "Oh no! Look, this fighter is unconscious and unable to defend himself." Kobi did a few fake stabs and looked back to him impatiently. "Seriously dude? I've got a party to help plan and I can't let my sister do all the work."

The announcer lifted his mic. "I...didn't even get to step out...of the arena." He shook off what he could. "W-Well folks, Hoshido is one-hundred percent unable to fight. Um..." He scratched his head. "He was...rank twenty-first overall. But..." He looked to the audience, who shared a similar fate. They all looked to the replay and played it in ultra slow motion. They finally witness a blurred movement close in and smash Hoshido. The man shouted. "Holy smokes! That's way too fast!"

Kobi grabbed Hoshido and made his way to the combatants terrace. Shikamaru came forward, grabbing the mic. "That's all we have for tonight folks. Remember, you can reserve your copy of tonight's fights in the event you can't make it to tomorrow night's or following days events. Don't forget, profits made towards the production of this footage goes directly to support villages of all the participants equally. There is a screening we will be playing all night of the fights you've seen today, projected onto the side of the building. Thank you, have an excellent night." Shikamaru handed the man the mic. "I got it covered, you look like you could use a drink."

The commentator made sure the mic was off. "Honestly, maybe I should retire. One of these times a fighter is going to get too anxious and blow away the stage with me on it."

Shikamaru laughed, patting him on the shoulder. "It's a miracle you've made it this long." The man's jaw dropped in shock. Shikamaru looked back. "Sorry, that was a joke. I was never good at telling jokes."

-Combatants Terrace-

Everyone but Kochi, Tsumi, and Shikamira were still in shock as Kobi downed his shot and they began drawing out plans. Kobi smacked his head. "Sorry. Everyone's invited to the meeting area where we arrived at. It'd be nice if everyone could at least be there, but no hard feelings if you aren't." He looked at the time and thought. "We're planning on doing a mix of night-time beach party and inside bar, since that's what the resort area already has to offer. Wear whatever, it's going to be in...two hours, alright?"

They finally left in a hurry. No one said anything, but Isami and Hitomi looked to each other. Hitomi chuckled. "Looks like Kochi has expanded her empire."

Isami nodded. "I don't know, Kobi seems like he's giving it a life of it's own." Isami turned to the group and grinned. "You heard him! Go, clean up and relax for a minute. Let's take some time to hang out with everyone." Ryoku and his group looked around. Isami pointed at them. "Yeah, you three come to. Kumi, Tekkaku..." He turned his head to Koari who looked equally as lost. "You're more than welcome, but you'll really only see random human shenanigans."

Koari crossed his arms. "Shenanigans, you say? Curious, I've never heard of that before. I think I'd like to see it for myself."

Isami let out a sweat. "Whatever floats your boat."

And so, the talented group retired for the day. Whispers and laughter trailed off as the terrace emptied and the arena was vacated.

-End- 

A/N

Aww snap! (wait, does anyone use that expression anymore?) Long time fans will know that Takeshi is pretty much my homeboy. However, my bias can only take you so far. When I line up the fighters and their personality quirks, sometimes the personality quirks mean the difference between victory and defeat. There are several shock values here that I'm sure some of my readers won't enjoy, but I write with my gut and enjoy it immensely.

Party chapter coming next. Believe it or not, I think it's going to be one of the best chapters I've written. (I almost don't believe it either, don't worry.) You'll have to wait and see. Talk is cheap, but it certainly has a way of developing characters ;)


	5. Wild Night

**-A/N-**

Readers of the tail end of the Burning Leaves will know that I've dabbed in the party scene before. This time, I wanted to apply the setting to really drive a few things forward. I hope you can appreciate this chapter as much as I do!

 **Chapter 5: Wild Night**

Naruto's group met up in their meeting room, sifting through videos and taking notes. Kiba scratched his head. "Is it too late to just leave?"

Shikamaru continued to jot notes. "You're the one who wanted to get official and sit with us in the judges area. Take some responsibility."

The man sighed, looking through other bits. He reviewed the footage of his son. "I knew the stats had him as fast, but that was completely unexpected. Even Kochi was far beyond what I remember." He looked down. "What do you know that I don't?"

Shikamaru paused, looking over to him. "You really don't question what your children do, huh?" Kiba looked away with an annoyed face. The Nara laughed. "It's just like you." Naruto, Sasuke, and Konohamaru snickered among themselves. Shikamaru rubbed his head. "Well, I guess we're all kind of like that, to a certain degree." He looked back to Kiba. "Kobi is very interesting; he really opened his eyes when everyone else departed on their mission. Kochi began to train Tsumi and him from the get go, but then, they began pestering me about things." He leaned back. "You can believe it or not, but Kobi and Tsumi read every book in that library. Not only that, but they trained under just about anyone you could think of."

Naruto looked over, seeing Kiba try to mask his pride. "Don't sell it short. Even when Tsumi was learning from Hinata, Kobi was there practicing the motions. They're really committed!"

Sasuke chimed in. "He went through my training as well, not that I noticed a vast difference at the time. Same goes for Kakashi and Lee."

Konohamaru turned himself. "Those two started helping Kumi out as well. I had a big part in helping, but they were around an awful lot." Konohamaru clinched his fist, slightly looking down. "It shocks me how little I've needed to help with any of the last generation."

Shikamaru nodded. "They were at Isami's library so much that I allowed them to study Isami's notes and theories. Those two really went all in with training, but they did it in a way that few people would notice."

Kiba leaned back. "That sure sounds like my kids; They only ever asked me about clan details, but I wasn't going to force them to learn one way." He turned with a thumbs up. "It was some nice time off for the wife and I!"

Sasuke rolled his eyes, returning his attention to Datsu. He grunted, feeling Naruto inch in. "I was hoping I was wrong, but something told me Takeshi would lose this fight."

The blonde shook his head. "I think Takeshi's still got plenty of tricks to use, but the tournament isn't the right time for it." He nudged him. "Hey, is your bracket busted now?"

Sasuke glared at him before leaving a cocky smirk. "As if. I'm still perfect."

Konohamaru chimed in. "It's not that hard. Datsu vs. Takeshi was the only toss up." Konohamaru grunted. "Even though I had Takeshi winning to the finals..."

Naruto looked around. "Eh? Does that mean everyone else is still perfect?" Shikamaru let out a sweat and said nothing. Finally, he nodded yes. Naruto pumped his fist. "Alright! This will be a good bracket!" He jolted, looking at the time. "Hey, did you hear?" They all looked in. Naruto indicated the time to them. "Apparently the entire group is about to meet up for a party or something."

Shikamaru crossed his arms. "Old habits die hard, huh? You still like creeping in on your kid's business?"

Konohamaru grunted, rubbing his hair. "I hope Kumi doesn't get out of hand. I told her to follow Yuuki's example, not Tsumi's."

Naruto looked over to him with a glare. "You saying one of them isn't a good role model?"

Konohamaru glared back and pointed at him. "That's exactly what I'm saying! If Kumi hangs out with Tsumi, she'll probably get in over her head!"

Sasuke got up, leaving. "She's going to do what you tell her not to do. Learn to accept their choices when they're not blatantly wrong."

Naruto lifted a finger, but paused as Sasuke left. He looked around. "Wait, did he just agree with me and give good parenting advice?"

Shikamaru shut down the systems. "Well, I could use a drink now. We should show up for a few minutes." Kiba and Konohamaru looked at each other and shrugged.

-Resort Meeting area-

Kobi checked off Shikamira's name, the last one to show. He pulled her aside. "What the hell? You're five minutes late. Anyone else is understandable, but you know how I am with meeting times on events."

She turned to him and crossed her arms. "Sorry I took the time to make sure I looked good. You've done better." Kobi panicked, looking over to see Tsumi laughing. Shikamira continued. "Besides, you sure took your time rolling out of bed this morning."

Kobi shook his head. "You know this is different, but whatever." He put on a confident aura. "You know I look good."

Isami overheard them, stepping in himself. "You're quite the man now, Kobi! This place is looking good and you three really know how to dress in something other than combat gear."

Tsumi tapped her foot. "It almost sounds like an insult when you say it like that." She looked over to Hitomi and nodded. "You two haven't lost your touch either." She also looked around to see that Hitomi's mission group were all well dressed to. "Looks like you taught them a bit more than ninjutsu, huh?"

The Uchiha gave her a thumbs up. "You should see the standards in the lightning village. I thought it was mostly rumors, but man they dress to kill." She eyed Isami's core group. "You didn't do too bad either, Isami. The only ones who stick out are..."

OoOo

Akano felt a shiver, glancing around. "Hey, Kaito...did you feel that?"

The man rubbed his chin and grunted in thought. "Perhaps someone does not agree with you on something."

Akano shifted his eyes around the place, seeing everyone's attire. Shitto also rubbed his chin in thought until finally Akano slammed the table in shock. "We're the only ones who don't look good in normal clothes!" The group shocked, dipping their heads.

Chojiko walked up after a moment. "Hey, didn't you guys know you're supposed to try a little bit at these things?"

Shitto pointed at him. "Liar! You're only dressed that way because your sister probably told you to."

Chojiko laughed nervously.

OoOo

Kobi cleared his throat, lifting a glass. "I know it was sudden, but thanks for coming everyone! It's been a long time! Take advantage of not having anywhere to be and catch up with old friends." Kobi looked around. "Maybe get to know others more. There are new faces here, so be sure to introduce yourself and keep it friendly. If you need anything..." Kobi took a large drink and smirked. "Isami here is the make shift host."

Isami pointed to himself in confusion. "What? Like hell I'm taking that responsibility!"

The group laughed as Kobi settled down. "Fair enough. Kochi, Tsumi, and I have arranged the whole setting, so don't be shy to ask us any questions." He paused for a moment before clarifying. "Just be sure to read the atmosphere, alright?"

As if on cue, an upbeat, but not overpowering music came in and the party was kicked off.

OoOo

Kokuten grunted. "Why are we still here?"

Ryoku snapped his fingers with the music and almost purposefully tried to annoy him. "Oh, come on dude. Lighten up every once in a while. They've got good music, good drinks,..." Ryoku watched as Lili and Yuuki walked by, laughing about something. He leaned in. "And good women to!"

Kokuten crossed his arms. "Good is a subjective word in this case. What do you think Yuuhi?"

She snapped her attention back to them, beaming a smile. "Sorry, I'm with Ryoku on this one." Her brother grew excited and they both began to snap their fingers and move around. Kokuten lifted a drink and gulped it down. She shook her head. "Besides, if you didn't care, why did you make it a point to dress nice?"

Kokuten spit some of his drink out, fumbling over what to say. "I'm merely blending in with my surroundings."

Ryoku pushed him another drink and pointed. "Hah! Bullshit and you know it. Drink up!" The two siblings laughed, making Kokuten crack a smile himself."

Ryoku stood up, seeing Tegun free. "I'll be back. I've been dying to talk to Tegun about his taijutsu."

Yuuhi watched as he left and turned to Kokuten. "I'm going to walk around a bit to. Are you going to be bored by yourself?"

Kokuten waved his hand, grabbing his drink. "Don't worry about me, Yuuhi. You two go tear down the resort for all I care. I'll just be here to drag you two home if you do something crazy."

She put on a big grin, grabbing her drink. "That's just like you Kokuten." With a quick twist, she was off and fading into the crowd.

Under the table, Kokuten's foot subtly tapped to the beat and his body moved around. "Damn it, they're rubbing off on me after all this time..."

OoOo

As Yuuhi made her way through the crowd, Tsumi accidentally bumped into her. She took a step back before catching eyes with Yuuhi. "Oh, sorry about that."

Yuuhi lifted her hand. "No worries, I was sort of not paying attention either."

Tsumi snickered, moving her eyes over the crowd. "Yuuhi, right? How is your group doing?"

The girl shrugged, looking around herself. "Well, Kokuten is tolerating it more than I expected." She lifted her hand to her mouth with a giggle. "Ryoku is loving it. He's surprisingly simple about life."

Tsumi nodded her head. "That's great! I was worried we might have caused some awkward situation by surrounding you with people you don't know."

The girl waved her hands. "No, not at all! I mean, I've already met some great people here. You're all so friendly."

Tsumi glanced over, seeing Takeshi looking out over the balcony. He was watching the waves come in with a drink in hand. She put her hand on her hips. "Oh Takeshi...I wish he was a bit more simple about the minor things."

Yuuhi quickly looked over in his direction, shaking her head. "I've had a good chance to talk with him during one of the fights. He really seems to care about everyone, doesn't he?"

The red head turned back to her with a smirk and a wink. "Almost too much if you ask me. He'd just as soon take on everyone's problems than remember he has his own." They both looked in his direction. "That much hasn't changed. Maybe he tries to help and understand everyone's problems so he can figure things out on his own?"

Yuuhi shook her head. "Someone should probably talk to him, huh? He's looking a little down."

Tsumi nudged her arm slightly. "Why don't you?"

Yuuhi blushed with a smile. "I don't know. Someone who knows him better could help him more."

Tsumi shook her head, setting down her glass. "Come on, girl!" She leaned in close. "I can tell you've got a little soft spot for him already. Why not give it a shot?"

Yuuhi flustered, pulling back. "N-no, I mean..." She saw Tsumi's face and sighed. "Is it obvious?"

Tsumi winked. "To a trained eye like mine, I could see it from the moment you two started talking. I think you're exactly who he wants to talk to."

Yuuhi gulped, looking back to him. "I'm not really good at that kind of stuff."

Tsumi picked up her glass, spinning around. "You don't know if you don't try. What's the worst that could happen?" Tsumi marched away, leaving Yuuhi to herself.

The girl shook her head, breathing in deeply. "She sure thinks it's easy." Yuuhi began to walk towards Takeshi, sweating nervously. _What am I getting myself into?_

OoOo

Takeshi took a long drink, still looking out over the balcony. He clinched his free hand, allowing his eyes to drift down to it. _It's not like I'm mad that Datsu won, but…_ He jumped when he noticed Yuuhi sheepishly in his peripheral. "Ah, uh...hey Yuuhi."

She faced the sea, turning her eyes to him. "It's beautiful even at night, isn't it?"

Takeshi relaxed a little, returning his attention out to the sea. "Yeah."

Yuuhi looked down, crossing her arms. "I didn't get a chance to say it, but your fights today were amazing."

Takeshi blushed slightly, turning away. "I got a little lucky in a few situations I think. What's amazing is what those two can do."

Yuuhi turned to him, now leaning her side against the siding. "That's not true; you clearly worked really hard and wanted to win. But I think I know why you lost to Datsu." Takeshi tilted his head back to her. She pointed a finger with her right hand. "You were too worried about their pride." Takeshi looked back with mild shock across his face. Yuuhi rubbed her arm. "Just like I was worried about my brother's pride."

Takeshi closed his mouth, looking back out to the sea in silence. He casually took a drink. Yuuhi began to feel awkward and motioned to leave, but Takeshi began to chuckle, rubbing his head. "And here I was just giving you the advice that I needed." He turned to her with a warm smile. "I've had the same problem since I was young." He twisted around, leaning his back against the rail. "You know Yuuki, right?"

She nodded, slightly leaning back herself and finding the girl. "Yeah. Before today, I only met her a few times when she was going as 'Akiko'." She put one hand on her hip. "Here was a girl my age in charge of a group of incredible fighter's, yet she was kind and charismatic." She smiled. "I've looked up to her for a while now."

Takeshi laughed, shaking his head. "Yuuki has a strange way of attracting people and forming bonds, that's for sure." He took a drink, continuing. "'Course, she wasn't always so strong or charismatic." Yuuhi turned her head, prompting him to continue. "You see, we've been friends for longer than I can stand to remember."

"So you two were close?" Yuuhi watched as he laughed, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Yeah. I was really one of her only friends until we actually became ninja. Hell's Phoenix showed up out of nowhere and put us through a lot of trauma." Yuuhi grew shocked, looking down. He noticed her and continued. "We decided from that point that we needed to do something to not only protect ourselves, but the people we care about."

Yuuhi tensed up. "So, Hell's Phoenix really is as bad as it sounds." A sense of shame consumed her. "Maybe I should go then." As she pushed off, Takeshi caught her arm. She looked back with a blush.

"It wasn't you. It wasn't Ryoku. It wasn't even the One for All." Yuuhi remained still, allowing him to continue. "There are rouge members out there who have gone off the deep end, but over these last couple years, I've learned that what the One for All stands for is inherently good." Yuuhi smiled as Takeshi pushed off the rail, signaling her to follow.

"Where are you going?" She naturally move along with him.

They stepped onto the beach and away from the party area. Takeshi walked up to the shoreline, looking out to the stars. "The minute Yuuki met Luna, she understood that there were two sides to your group. It took me some time to figure that out, but I eventually learned to ask questions and discover things myself. The One for All is looked up to by an area that dwarfs any of our villages. He's just trying to do what he thinks is right in order to maintain peace."

Yuuhi listened, staring out to the stars as well. "He gave us a chance to become ninja in order to help our village and other people. I always thought he was the most impressive man in the world." Takeshi looked to her as she spoke with a smile. "When we were deemed Chunin, he sent us an inspiring personal message. The end of it really gave me and my brother a deep thought: 'I, as a head authority, can tell you what I think is right and wrong; and perhaps I am right. However, without a legacy that seeks it's own path and discerns it's own vision of a united future, I am only one man clinging to a dying philosophy." Takeshi's jaw dropped slightly as she turned to him with a smile. "From that point, I decided one person could only be a catalyst that speeds up a process. It's not just one man that is great, it's a collection of the ideals that he can inspire in others that makes something great."

Takeshi laughed, still in shock. He turned his head out to the stars again. "Our backgrounds are so different, yet somehow we've reached the same answer, huh?" Takeshi turned to her with a happy grin. "Not to mention the 'worrying about someone's pride' issue." Yuuhi laughed with him, moving in closer to him while watching the stars. She turned to him, once again growing sheepish. To her surprise, Takeshi looked down to her. "I know we only just met, but-" He began to rub his head as their hearts pounded. He calmed his nerves and spoke his mind. "Yuuhi, I actually really like you."

She blushed as an excited, yet relieved smile swept over her face. "I'm glad. I like you a lot to, Takeshi." She felt her body naturally get closer as Takeshi's arms wrapped around her. After a moment, she pulled away. "We should get back to the party. I'm sure one of your friends has been waiting to catch up with you."

Takeshi nodded his head, looking back to the balcony. "You're right." He crossed his arms behind his head as they began to head back, walking closer together. He grinned happily. "Boy, I'm glad you took the time to talk with me. I feel a hundred pounds lighter already!"

OoOo

Kobi watched as Takeshi and Yuuhi came back to the scene. With an excited nod, he casually approached Inora and whispered in her ear. She turned back to him with excitement, nodding her head. She took a few steps towards Datsu. "Hey, don't cause any trouble. I'm going to go chat with Lili for a moment."

Datsu raised an eyebrow as Inora walked over to where Lili and Yuuki were seated. Inora promptly grabbed Lili's arm and dragged her away, partially making a scene that made Yuuki roll her eyes. Datsu shook his head. "Honestly, that girl is just so selfish."

Kobi swung in, dropping a drink down next to him. "Hell of a fight you had today, Datsu. I'm looking forward to seeing if I can win."

Datsu accepted the drink, putting on a smirk. "We're going to get our rematch after all. Never would have seen that coming."

As Datsu went to drink, Kobi leaned in. "So, how are you planning on getting together with Yuuki?"

The river ninja spat half of his drink out, turning to him. "You're just going to bluntly come out with your assumptions like that? Haven't you heard of subtlety?"

Kobi drank, crossing a leg and looking back out. "Save it, you just told me everything."

Datsu crossed his arms, blushing slightly with his eyes closed. "You don't know what you're talking about, dumbass."

Kobi leaned forward slightly, pointing with his drinking hand. "You're free to think what you want. I've seen enough to know that both of you care a lot about each other. You're a direct guy when it comes to getting the point across, that's why I threw that out there. If you don't want to chat, I'll butt out."

Datsu took a critical eye of him before sighing. Datsu now drank a big gulp before setting his beverage down. "I envy you, you know." Kobi listened intently, allowing Datsu to continue. "You seem fulfilled and carefree already." Datsu's eyes found Tsumi in the crowd. "The two of you are already inseparable. I just..." He looked away. "If I screw something up, I don't know how I would react."

Kobi laughed, picking up his drink. "Sounds like you're making it worse if you ask me. I was shot down left and right by Tsumi." He looked over to Yuuki. "Something tells me that won't be the case with Yuuki. She seems lonely, even with all her friends around her."

Datsu crossed his arms stubbornly. "And somehow I can change that, right? I can't even-"

Kobi lifted a hand up, signaling him to stop. "Don't pour your heart out to me dude."

Kobi walked towards Yuuki, making Datsu panic. "Hey, what the hell are you doing?" Kobi had already gotten out of ear shot, making Datsu grit his teeth. "Meddling bastard." He watched as Kobi pointed towards him and Yuuki made eye-contact. She got up, making her way to him. Datsu's heart pounded hard, making him fumble over his drink nervously. _Oh boy…_

Yuuki sat down her drank and took a seat next to him. They were relatively isolated from others. She turned to him with a bored face. "So, Kobi told me you needed to talk. What's up?"

Datsu sighed. "Would you prefer the straight forward conversation or the long-winded kind?"

Yuuki propped her head up with one hand and drank with the other. She stoically responded with, "Obviously the blunt approach. Don't be afraid to tell me what's bothering you."

Datsu rolled his eyes. "Of course." He finished off his drink and dropped it down on the table, making Yuuki raise her eyebrow. He took a deep, soothing breath. "Yuuki, try not to rip my head off." He made direct eye-contact with her. "I have very strong feelings for you." Yuuki jolted in shock, blushing as she began to chug her drink. She choked up, beginning to cough as it went down the wrong pipe. Datsu began patting her back in panic. "Hey, take it easy! Is it that bad?"

Yuuki breathed in, still red in the face. She looked away with an annoyed face. "You asshole! Making me fluster up like this. Honestly, did Inora put you up to this?"

Datsu waved his arms, annoyed himself. "Since when do I go along with any of her stupid jokes? I don't play dumb love games like that!"

Yuuki turned back with an angry face. "Then why now?"

He leaned in closer with an angry face himself. "Why not?"

She pointed her hand aggressively. "Well, maybe I like you to! What then?"

Datsu punched his fist on the table. "If that's how it's gonna be, then fine!"

The two paused, only a few inches from each others face before they realized what they said. They pulled back, blood red in embarrassment. The two festered in silence. The entire conversation echoed in their heads over and over.

Yuuki covered her face. "I am so sorry...That really escalated."

Datsu rubbed his neck. "Nah, it's my fault; I got swept into the heat of the moment to easily."

There was a strange quietness over the party. Yuuki and Datsu continued to stare down. Yuuki then piped up. "They all heard that, didn't they?"

A single voice called out. "Yeah!" Unfortunately, no one could pin-point the suspect.

Datsu shielded his face from the direction of the crowd. "The entire resort might have heard that."

Lone footsteps followed by a quiet whistle stepped in as Kochi dropped off a few drinks. "You're probably going to want these. Let the atmosphere simmer down for minute."

As she left, the two swept their drinks in and began to sip on them. Yuuki quietly spoke. "So...did that just happen?"

Datsu nodded his head. "Unless I really did die on those stairs..."

The two of them shared a look and began to snicker. Finally, laughter broke out between them and the party soon got back on track. Yuuki scooted closer to him, swirling her drink. "What can I say? I never knew you felt that way about me, Datsu."

"Don't you remember me trying to get a kiss when we were tree climbing?" He laughed nervously, rubbing his forehead. "Ever since we had that talk about your father and shadow clones. I knew it was something, since I'd never had it before."

Yuuki's eyes widened. "Really?" She coughed, still a little embarrassed. "If I'm being honest, that's around the time I started feeling that way to."

Datsu laughed in the realization. "That explains why this turned out the way it did. Man, I can feel the frustration leaving already!"

Yuuki shook her head. "All this time, I was wondering how I would respond if you ever felt the same way about me." She shielded her face from the crowd now. "That's so embarrassing."

Datsu chuckled, laying an arm across the table. "Since when is anything normal with me?"

Yuuki lifted her glass. "Cheers to that." They clanked glasses and drank a gulp. Yuuki set her drink down, looking over to him. "What do you mean you'd never felt that feeling before?"

Datsu propped his head up, recalling his past. "I mean, I don't have parents. I've always felt this gap, deep inside. The old man made me feel like I mattered, even though he had no reason to. Seems like yesterday you and Takeshi came in and handed my ass to me." He drank a bit more before continuing. "Just like that, I felt a connection with Takeshi. I thought that was what I needed; a powerful rivalry with everyone I met." He looked at her with a cheeky grin. "Well, you can see where it goes. That strange feeling I had. It filled me with purpose and hope."

Yuuki nodded, looking down to her glass. "I understand the feeling in a different way. Takeshi and I were a fling, but it felt like he just tore my heart out at that time." She shook her head. "The angst I felt every time I saw a couple after that stabbed through it, even though I knew logically that I should be happy." She looked up to him. "They made me stronger. I can only be sure of that right now. If you're serious, please don't make me go through that again."

Datsu put his hand on her's. "You know I can be an idiot sometimes, and maybe I'm in over my head right now, but that is one thing I can swear won't happen."

Yuuki felt her heart open up in happiness. The two shared a bright smile, and for a moment, they were oblivious to the world.

For a moment. "So, when's the wedding?" Datsu pulled back, kicking Inora in the shin.

"Don't even start." He crossed his arms.

Yuuki saw Lili there and kicked her in the shin prematurely. The girl sat in a chair with anger. "I didn't even say anything!"

Yuuki pointed to her. "I know you too well, that's why I kicked you."

Inora leaned over to Lili, waving her off. "Lili here was getting pretty excited there. The only thing that would have topped it off was a big 'ole smooch after Datsu's table punch."

The three of them kicked her chair and made her fall over. Datsu crossed his arms. "This isn't a romance novel."

Yuuki pointed at Lili. "Looks like I beat you again!"

Lili twisted her head to the side. "You can't just decide a competition after you do something first!"

Datsu rubbed his head. "We really all have problems, huh?"

Inora sat up and the group shared eye-contact. With a shrug, they raised their glasses and cheered to that.

OoOo

Two hours had passed in what seemed like minutes, but finally the group of fathers came rolling in. Naruto grew excited, appreciating the atmosphere they had created. "Wow, a live band! And that lighting." He clinched his hand and dipped his head. "I'm so jealous..."

Sasuke inspected the area itself. "No details spared either. This is the work of a genius."

Shikamaru coughed, gaining their attention. "Remember, we're not here to crash the party." He took out a sketch pad and began to jot down notes. "But..."

Konohamaru lit up a cigarette. "If only time could stand still. What a setting." Kiba nodded.

Kobi jumped up, seeing the group approach. "Hey pops! I thought I smelled you coming!" He looked over to the bar. "Hey Shikamira, you have the thing?"

Kiba pulled back. "What 'thing'?"

Kobi handed him a drink. "I don't know how long you can stick around, but try this out." Kiba took the drink, inspecting it carefully. "I know you don't like the scent of alcohol, so we managed to find a way to remove the stinging smell while not making it a girly drink."

Kiba shook his head. "Is that what you've been spending time doing?" Seeing his son eagerly awaiting his critique, Kiba eventually gave it a taste. His eyes widened as he found himself taking another drink. "Woah, no kidding! How in the world did you pull this off?"

Shikamira waved her finger. "Trade secret."

Shikamaru let out a sweat, grabbing the drink from Kiba and giving it a taste. "What the hell?" Shikamaru gave it back to Kiba, still swishing it around in his mouth.

The Nara now swallowed, giving a nod of approval. "Let's have some negotiations, Shikamira." The two left towards the bar.

Kobi laughed, looking over to Konohamaru. "Kumi said you gave her a green light, since she's close to the right age, but I have been handing her non-alcoholics for the past hours."

Konohamaru shook his head. "That's not necessarily your responsibility, but thank you. Maybe I can share a first of something with her then." The man paused, eyeing Naruto. "Don't even try to make that weird."

Konohamaru patted Kobi's shoulder as he made his way in. Naruto sized Kobi up once more. "So, you put this all together, huh?"

Kobi waved his hand. "Tsumi and Kochi are just as much a part of it." He jolted, rubbing his neck. "We might have a bit of experience with this kind of stuff..."

Naruto shook his head. "I could get mad, but I won't. You three really have a masterful talent. Settings like this are a god-send in diplomatic affairs."

Sasuke crossed his arms, seeing Takeshi laughing with a girl and Hitomi and Isami laughing with Asumaru and Kochi. He nodded his head. "This is why I don't care what our children do. We don't need to meddle in their affairs."

Kobi shook his head. "It's not like that." The remaining three looked at him with a critical eye. "Sure, the freedom to discover things on our own is extremely important, but you have to understand that we've all learned a great deal from our parents." Kiba froze, keenly listening. Kobi gave him a thumbs up. "You've all had to learn hard lessons. Whether it's in the words you say or the actions you do, it gets through to us. If you don't start with a good set of values underneath, the freedom to do as you please can lead to some bad things."

Naruto smiled, ruffing up Kobi's hair. "You sure remind me a lot of Isami."

Kiba butted in, pointing his finger at himself. "Hey, that's MY son, Naruto!"

Kobi invited them in. "Well, relax for a minute or two. They already know you're here, might as well mingle a bit." He knocked himself on the head, pointing over to the bar where Shikamaru intently studied the way Shikamira concocted a drink. "Shikamira can pretty much replicate any drink you've ever heard of, so feel free to start there."

Naruto and Sasuke shared eye-contact before making their way to the bar. Kiba finished his drink before giving his son another look. "How are you not broke?"

Kobi walked with him back into the party. "Shikamira is pretty big on finances as well. She has an amazing knowledge of budgeting, so Kochi, Tsumi, and I took the time to learn how to manage money."

Kiba sighed, nodding his head. "Alright, I give. You've really got your shit together."

Kobi pumped his arm. "Not only on this side of things either! Just wait 'til you see what I can do as a ninja to!"

Kiba nodded, crossing his arms. "I may not have gotten Hokage, but keep it up and you might just make it!"

Kobi waved his arms. "I don't know if I want that kind of responsibility, dad."

Kiba seemed to deflate internally. _But why not?!_

OoOo

Kumi shook her head. "I figured those were blanks he was giving me...but they sure had a bite to them."

Konohamaru laughed, handing her a drink. "Shikamira's sure got a talent for bar-tending, that's for sure."

Kumi grabbed the drink, looking down. "Yuuki didn't even use her persona technique in our fight...do you think I wasn't ready?"

Konohamaru drank quickly, putting his glass down. "Don't even start to think like that. You were incredible! I didn't even know you could do half of what you did!"

Kumi brightened up, drinking her drink before pausing. "Is this really-" She felt a rush of heat to her face and breathed out slowly. "Whoa..."

Konohamaru laughed heartily. "I found out Shikamira could make a nice and potent drink that didn't have a horrible taste. This'll make up for your lost time."

Kumi drank the rest of it down, planting it on the table. She began to giggle a little. "Are you trying to get your daughter trashed?"

He crossed his arms. "Depends...Do you want another one?"

Kumi waved her arms. "No thank you! I'm going to ride this out for a minute." She shook her head. "Back on the subject; I heard where I ranked on the stats, but I know with the persona technique that I might have stood a chance against Datsu or Takeshi. But she still just seemed like she was warming up."

Konohamaru finished off his drank and crossed his arms. "Let me tell you something; the Uzumaki's are truly in a league of their own. Every time I thought I'd gone a step beyond Naruto, he was two steps beyond that." She looked down, making him cross his arms. "That being said, you may have already come close to my level. You're still so young."

Kumi nodded, resting her arms on the table. "I do feel selfish, having leapfrogged amazing ninja, yet not being satisfied with still falling short of Yuuki." She shook her thoughts away. "She may always be a couple steps ahead, but I'll keep training in case she needs someone to knock some sense into her."

Konohamaru let out another laugh, leaning in. "You're starting to sound like your old man!" Kumi gave him a wide grin.

OoOo

Yuuhi nudged Takeshi, pointing over to the bar. "Who are those older guys and what are they doing?"

Takeshi looked over, seeing his dad and Naruto lining up a ton of shots. He smacked his head. "That's my dad and the Hokage. Sorry, I need to intervene here."

She watched as Takeshi left, marching towards the two. Ryoku popped in out of nowhere, making her jump. "Hey, what's going on between you two? You've been awfully close."

Yuuhi let out a nervous sweat as he awaited the answer. "Well, it turns out we both have a lot in common." She looked away with a smile. "I like him a lot."

Ryoku crossed his arms with a serious face, making her more nervous. Finally, he smiled in high spirits. "Not bad, sis! I've heard nothing but good things from Tegun about him." He put on a serious face and leaned in. "He hasn't been putting any moves on you, has he?"

Yuuhi pushed his face away. "Who cares if he has?" She blushed, pulling back. "But no, he's not like that at all."

Ryoku nodded. "I have to ask, as the older brother."

She shifted her eyes around, clearing her throat. "Hey, Ryoku." He looked at her with a confused look. She looked down. "I know this is sudden, but you know I'm probably stronger than you right now, right?"

His demeanor deflated and he looked away. With a sigh, he nodded his head. "Yeah, I know. You have been for some time." He looked to her with a confident smile. "Don't worry about it. I'll find a way to keep up at my own pace."

Yuuhi sighed, chuckling to herself. "I was worried that it would have hurt you inside, so I held back in training. I'm sorry I didn't just talk to you about it."

Ryoku shook his head. "I'm just as stubborn; I figured seeing me over-exert myself would encourage you to train harder." He laughed at the idea. "We're both reading too far into things. Just take it easy for now, alright?"

Yuuhi nodded with a happy expression. "Thanks Ryoku."

OoOo

Takeshi and Yuuki had already arrived, getting in between their parents. "Hey, come on dad. It was a draw."

Sasuke pointed his finger at Naruto. "The last drink reached my stomach first!"

Yuuki pushed back her dad more. "Don't even return that stupid argument."

Naruto swung his arm around at Sasuke. "Yeah, well my glasses were filled higher!"

Shikamira casually looked up. "No they weren't. They were precisely fourty-four milliliters each."

The two rivals let out a sweat, pausing in thought. Finally, they both crossed their arms and turned away.

Takeshi and Yuuki let out a sigh of relief, turning towards each other. Yuuki crossed her arms. "Somehow I knew that would happen the minute they showed up."

Takeshi shook his head. "Yeah, no kidding." The two shared eye-contact with an amused face. Takeshi stretched his arms casually. "Figured you wouldn't start a relationship with anyone who couldn't beat me."

She rolled her eyes with a smirk. "Oh yeah? Figured you had to choose someone with an almost identical name as me."

The two shared a brief laugh, waving each other off. Yuuki patted on her dad's back. "Come on, let's chat for a bit."

Naruto turned around, nodding his head. "Hey, I won, right?"

She closed her eyes, pushing him forward. "Obviously." Naruto perked up as he managed to catch Isami and Tsumi's attention.

OoOo

Isami winked at Hitomi. "Dad's probably got something to say, so I'll be back, alright?"

She nodded, seeing Takeshi on his way to her. "Don't be too long now."

As Isami departed, Sasuke gave him a critical look before sitting down himself. Takeshi leaned against the railing before Sasuke propped an arm on the table. "Don't worry; I'm not here to lecture or dish out advice."

Takeshi relaxed himself. "You have a right to, but I'm still not so sure I could have beaten Datsu with everything I had."

Hitomi shifted her eyes to her brother. "Please don't rely on your toughness too much, okay? Even with the sharingan, one wrong move can be your downfall."

Sasuke shook his head. "Both of you have grown a great deal. Even though I know what everyone looks like on a stat card, it's a whole other thing to see it in action." He turned his attention to Takeshi. "I don't doubt that you already understand your problems. Even Madara would have been defeated in his fight against an amazing taijutsu artist." After stating his peace, he looked to Hitomi. "And you have still gone beyond my expectations, Hitomi. I can clearly see that you are one of the best fighters in the ninja world."

Hitomi blushed, looking down. "Father..." Her eyes lit up with a perked up face. "Just be sure to rub it in mom's face for me!"

Sasuke glanced over to Isami and Yuuki. "It's not just you. The Uzumaki's have helped you grow as well. How do you think Yuuki's progress went?"

Hitomi sweat nervously, fidgeting around. "I honestly can't say. She hasn't talked about all of her training. She's focused on her own goals, but still ask for critique on her performances. Honestly, there's only a few people here where I can't gauge their level yet. Isami, Yuuki..." She thought closely. "Kochi surprised me, Kumi was great, and Tsumi obviously."

Takeshi dipped his head. "There's one more that's obvious; Kobi."

Hitomi nodded her head. "Isami and I were talking about that, not that it's unique. It seems like he's the topic of the night."

Sasuke nodded his head, leaning back. "All good speculation, but that's not what I'm interested in." He averted his eyes, as if shy. "So...how was your mission? It's been a while since we've had a chance to talk in person."

The two siblings gave each other a surprised look before lightening up.

OoOo

Naruto laughed as Isami finished his story. "I'm sure he was feeling that for a long while!" As the two of them simmered down, Yuuki and Tsumi shook their heads in mild annoyance. Naruto waved it off. "Sorry, Isami's stories were a bit funnier, that's all!" He rubbed his nose, looking over his children once more. "You three make Hinata and I so proud. You've become powerful ninja's, capable of producing change the way you see fit." The father now put on a grin. "You've become some of the best people I know as well." He looked to his son. "Your desire to help others and understand the world with a free spirit." He turned his attention to Tsumi. "Your ability to break the mold and keep things light-hearted." He then fixed his focus on Yuuki. "And your ability to connect others and inspire them to go beyond their perceived limits." The three took a drink, rather bashful about the compliment. Naruto crossed his arms. "I get the feeling you're all dedicated to following your own path, but I'll support you until the end."

Isami rubbed his neck with a laugh. "Does that mean I'm off the Hokage spotlight then?"

He raised an eyebrow with an annoyed face. "Don't get carried away now. If someone were needed to fill my position and it had to be one of the people here, I still believe you are the number one choice."

Isami scratched his cheek. "You're giving me too much credit. I'm four years ahead of most the people here. I can think of one off the top of my head and a few others potentially." He looked over to Yuuki. "I'm ruling you out; something tells me you're not interested in the near future."

Naruto looked back to his daughter, slightly crushed. She let out a sigh. "You aren't wrong." Naruto deflated as Yuuki shied away. "I love the Hidden Leaf, but I've seen so many other amazing places to. I don't exactly know where is right for me just yet."

Tsumi slapped her arm. "Hey, does that mean you're going to move up to the Hidden Cloud?"

Naruto dropped his jaw as Yuuki smiled. "I don't know, maybe. It's not like I have that figured out in my head."

Isami crossed his arms. "I see...she's doesn't just want the Hidden Leaf; She wants the world!"

Yuuki spat out her drink, crossing her arms. "I don't have that kind of ego, you idiot! What's wrong with wanting to travel around?"

Naruto sighed, putting on a smile. "The world has been a different place for over twenty years. I sincerely believe world peace is one of two things coming in the future."

Tsumi shrugged her arms. "That, or a turmoil of chaos if you believe in premonitions." They all looked at her critically. She put on a smirk. "If that is the case, we'll be there to knock some sense into it. Don't forget about Kobi, Hitomi, and Takeshi either!"

Naruto laughed, nodding his head. "I don't care what might happen. I never truly would have believed it three years ago, but now I know you kids truly have the ability to make this world a great place."

Yuuki crossed her arms. "Don't just leave out Datsu, either!"

Tsumi narrowed her eyes, cat-like. "Oh? Already defending your new boyfriend?"

Naruto spat out his drink in an exaggerating manner, making Yuuki roll her eyes. "Dad, don't even start."

Tsumi chimed in before her. "You should have seen how bad he got when he found out Kobi and I were dating."

Yuuki lifted her hand to the side, grunting. "I know. I mean, he was all over me when I was dating Takeshi. Doesn't he have more important things to deal with?"

Naruto pounded the table. "I'm right here!"

Isami dropped his jaw. "Ehhhhh! Since when!?"

Naruto pointed his finger at Isami. "Don't even start with that-" His son disappeared in a swirl of leaves that left Naruto choking on a few. "Blech! Damn it Isami!"

Naruto turned his head, seeing both his daughters had already left the scene. Naruto festered to himself. "God damn kids..." A familiar voice rang out in his head. ' _You know, this reminds of my fight with the mighty Amaterasu.'_ Naruto's face grimaced. _Kurama, please shut up._ The fox snorted. _'It was around one-hundred generations ago..."_ The fox continued as Naruto hid his face in his hands. "I've heard this story over a dozen times...OVER A DOZEN!" The Hokage looked around as everyone in the vicinity looked at him in concern. He put on a grin and waved awkwardly. Silence ensued for a moment. Kurama cleared his throat. _'You don't have to be a dick about it..._ _p_ _uny human.'_ Naruto sighed. _Just go_ _back_ _to sleep, Kurama._ The fox scoffed out once more. _'Is that all I'm good for anymore?'_

OoOo

Nezero's face was flushed, having drank a good chunk of alcohol. "Oi, Vinney?"

The man in question was pretty drunk himself, but managed to stare over. "What's up?"

The red-head sighed. "You think my dad's going to be disappointed in me?"

Vin closed his eyes. "I don't know...probably." Nezero nodded his head as Vin laughed. "I'm just pulling your leg, Nezero. He knows how hard we all worked. It's just, you know..." Vin dipped his head. "They're all just too amazing."

Kankiri chimed in, having a clear head. "Don't worry; We're all friends."

Nezero pushed his face down harder. "Inora said she's exploring other options to..."

Vin rolled his face over. "Weren't you doing the same thing?"

Nezero popped his head up and pointed at Vin's nose. "That does nothing for my pride!"

Vin sighed, pushing himself up. "We'll get it next time, don't worry!"

Kankiri shook her head. "Dead weight."

Nezero fired up, pointing at her. "It's called a wing-man! If one of us fails, we both fail!"

Kankiri looked to Vin, but he held an 'it can't be helped' expression. She shook her head. "Whatever."

OoOo

Hoshido continued his lament further, even though Hotaru was attempting to help. "Overall, I'm nowhere near the level of usefulness."

Hotaru finally let out a sigh, looking over to Kobi as he laughed. "You saw everyone's expression: No one could have predicted he was capable of such a feat. He would have knocked me down in one hit as well."

Hoshido shook his head, now with a more serious face. "It's just not good enough! I need to work harder if I'm going to be helpful to Lili and Tegun one day." Hotaru listened as he clinched his fist. "If you want the truth, I think Tegun will be the next Raikage. I want to be able to cover him in any situation, no matter how little information we have."

Hotaru smiled, nodding her head. "Don't worry about the information. I'll make sure you're supplied with only the best." The two siblings could feel each others passion, leading them to chuckle at the situation.

OoOo

Datsu's laughter with his friends simmered down. He took a drink in thought before looking between Akano and Kaito. "It's great to hear the old man's doing well. What about the village?"

Kaito glanced over to Akano. "There's a certain Tokubetsu Jonin here who is working overtime for everyone. It's not my style, but Akano could probably tell you everyone in the village by name." Datsu eyed the man in shock.

Akano blushed, taking a sip. "We have to see to it that everyone's complaints are heard. If the people are happy, the village will prosper. That's just the cold logic."

Datsu laughed at him, making Akano narrow his eyes. "Cold logic? It's fine to just say you care about them."

Akano gritted his teeth, looking away. "So what if I do?"

Datsu relaxed his face, taking another drink. "I'm glad, you know? With ninja like you around, I know the Hidden Rivers has a bright future ahead of it."

Akano turned his head in confusion. Kaito crossed his arms in thought. "And what of you? I'm certain Rekano will ask you to take his place in the future."

Datsu rubbed his neck, looking down. He paused in thought for a moment before letting out a sigh. "You're going to make me come right out with it, huh? Things may change, but I'm not so sure I'm needed there as much."

Akano closed his eyes, taking a quick drink. He put his glass down with mild force. "It's the Hidden Clouds, isn't it?"

Datsu maintained his focus down at his drink. "Yeah."

Akano felt his grip tighten in frustration. "You're just going to abandon us? Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't you our leader?"

Datsu lifted his eyes with intensity. "No, I'm not." Akano stunned as he continued. "You two are strong in your own right. Rekano probably wouldn't choose me as his predecessor either."

Akano shook his head. "I don't think Nia is very interested in the position, Datsu."

Datsu stood up, still serious. "There are small villages everywhere that could use a hand. That's where I believe I can be the most useful." Datsu pointed a hand at Akano. "You, on the other hand, have the compassion and the smarts to lead the newest 'great nation'! I could tell the minute I saw you again." Datsu grabbed his drink, quickly turning around. "I've already made up my mind on this months ago. If the village truly needs me, I will be there for it. I need to start walking my own path." Tears began rolling out of Datsu's eyes.

Kaito rubbed his chin. "I have a hunch you're crying right now."

Akano peeked around as much as he could before pointing. "Ah, I think you're right!" Akano nodded his head to Kaito. "Amazing perception, as always."

Datsu spun around. "Read the atmosphere, you idiots!"

OoOo

Nagi let out a sigh after dipping his head. Shitto rubbed his chin. "I see. So Shikamira isn't interested in a relationship kind of thing. That's unexpected."

Chojiko blushed, scratching at his cheek. "I was rooting for you. She's become extremely cute, hasn't she?"

Shitto closed in low himself. "I'm jealous of Kobi. Tsumi is definitely the best looking, isn't she?"

Nagi sighed once more. "It's not all about looks, you two." He shifted his eyes around. "But what happened to them? They almost look like models and celebrities. Even Lili has an amazing glow to her!"

Shitto theorized in his head. "Social events must be an important part of their lives. Looking good makes you feel good, as they say."

Nagi grunted, swallowing more of his drink. "Well, life will move on. I wonder if they know someone who's interested." He glanced back to Kobi, who had been sustaining a conversation with Kokuten. The Hyuuga raised his head. "It's not just socially he's improved either; Kobi's hands down the fastest man I've seen outside of Fuuinjutsu. I wonder what else he's capable of."

OoOo

Inora leaned against the bar, fascinated by Shikamira's new improvements. She propped her head with her hand. "So, I heard you turned down Nagi. What's up with that?"

Shikamira noted her father talking with Tekkaku and leaned in to Inora. "He's a great guy, but he's definitely looking for a life-long partner. That's too much for me right now." She gave her a smile and leaned against the counter herself. "I hear you shot down Nezero tonight."

Inora waved her off with a laugh. "Turns out he had the same plans. It's interesting what a year or two will do for people."

Shikamira whipped up a drink and slid it to her friend. "Tell me what you think."

Inora sipped on it and her eyes widened. The flavor was her favorite with just the right amount of sweetness to it. She wiped her mouth with a smile. "Wow, amazing! This is the best drink I've ever tasted Shikamira!"

The girl crossed her arms with a satisfied smile. "I've been discerning your preference with every drink to gauge the right mix." Shikamira rubbed down the counter and continued to talk. "So, you were able to pick up on my shadow bind jutsu, right?"

Inora laughed innocently. "What? No, it was just a fluke."

Shikamira stopped and put her hands on her hips. "I don't mind, really."

Inora was taken aback by that. "Shikamira...that's a clan secret jutsu. You shouldn't be so lenient on me."

Shikamira gripped her chin in thought. "My father knows to, obviously it's fine. Given our families ties to one another, it makes sense." Inora nodded, but Shikamira pointed her finger at the blonde. "That being said, I think it's only fair you show me how to use the mind-body transfer technique!"

Inora pulled back with shock. "I...I can't do that!" Shikamira scowled at her, tapping her foot. Inora sweat nervously before finishing her drink. She leaned in closer. "Alright, fine! But before I do, why do you even want to know?"

Shikamira put on a grin. "The shadow bind is much riskier for me. I'm more suited to reconnaissance and information gathering. What good is it if the enemy knows I was watching?"

Inora sighed, glancing around a little more. "I don't have much of a choice, do I?" She sighed. "Fine. We'll do it after I'm eliminated from the tournament."

Shikamira poked her cheek. "Don't sell yourself short! Even if you don't think you can win, I do."

Inora rubbed her cheek, flushed in red. She turned her head with a smile. "You certainly have a way with words now. I can't believe I'm going to give my rival another weapon."

Karui whistled her way up to the bar, attempting to reach over. Shikamira quickly swatted her hand and pointed to her. "I already told you, you're cut off!"

The woman puffed out her cheeks, sinking down. "ah com'on!" She held back a hiccup, trying to defend herself. "I'm ot evan drank, 'kay?"

Shikamira shook her head. "Sadly, that was a better sentence than your last try. But it didn't work."

Karui rasped at Shikamira before stumbling off back to her table. Inora laughed as Shikamira shook her head. "You'd think she'd have built up some common sense or tolerance by this point."

OoOo

Long after the parents said their farewells and fighters began to file out, Kobi leaned back with Takeshi. "So, you didn't walk back with Yuuhi?"

The Uchiha shook his head, sipping on water. "Nah, she had her hands full with Ryoku. Apparently just being there would have made him go on another tangent." He waved off Nagi and Shitto before closing in. "Hey, do you think you're going to beat Datsu?"

Kobi laughed, rubbing his neck. "Who knows? Datsu seems pretty determined to win." Takeshi gave him an unsatisfied look, making Kobi sigh. "I was hoping you wouldn't lose to him so I could show you a good fight, but I suppose things worked out for you in the end." He leaned in with a smirk. "Between you and me, I don't plan on losing a fight...unless Isami is in it to win it."

Takeshi nodded, patting his back. "I knew you cared about the fights. Don't disappoint, you hear?"

Kobi lifted his hands, motioning his surroundings. "Hate to sound too conceited, but I think I've nailed it so far." Takeshi nodded, not able to argue. Kobi swung his head over his shoulder, seeing only Yuuki and Tsumi left. "Alright, we should call it a night, you two!"

The two finished their conversation, rising up. The four of them departed, leaving behind a great memory of the night.

-A/N-

Alright, there it was! If you are someone that is 100% against drinking, I'm surprised you've made it this far. I fully understand the argument that it's poison or it's just not for you, but I personally am fine with it (so long as nothing get's crazy violent).

Anyways, after reading almost all the content I have written before, I stand by my notion that this may be the best chapter I've written. Personally, it is my favorite, bar none. We're most likely not going to see many scenes like this in a long time, so cherish it while you can. Thanks for all of those who manage to make it through these massive chapters as well! You guys are awesome!


	6. Wistful Brawling

A/N

This was a numbing chapter for a long time. It was incredibly difficult to write the scenes the way I wanted them, even knowing the basic results I wanted in them. Still, once I decided on what direction to take it, I was able to make some interesting decisions and continue to push the narrative forward once again. I hope you are prepared for the unexpected this chapter!

 **BL2 Chapter 6: Wistful Brawling**

The fighter's gathered together in the terrace once more, noticeably more cheerful than they were yesterday. Takeshi and Tegun found themselves hanging out with Ryoku and the others while Datsu took his seat with Yuuki, Lili, Kobi, and Tsumi. Inora now sat with Shikamira alone while Kumi took her seat with Akano and Kaito.

While the announcer kicked off the start of the second day, Yuuki and Tsumi stood eagerly. Tsumi looked over to her sister. "I've been waiting for this chance since I became my own person! Don't give me too much slack now."

Yuuki shook her head. "I'll keep that in mind, but I do have two more fights after this."

Tsumi crossed her arms with a smirk. "You sure are confident. You saw what happened when Takeshi tried to hide some surprises."

The two were summoned to the center and they began their walk. "You'll find that I'm a bit more complicated than Takeshi is."

As they reached the middle, the crowd died down and you could hear a pin drop. The announcer gulped, already steering clear of the arena. "This is a historical match, ladies and gentlemen. These two Uzumakis have never fought each other in a tournament until today. Tsumi now operates in a relentless, merciless onslaught of attacks that doesn't allow her opponent a chance to go on the offensive. However, Yuuki has shown already why she is a High Jonin. We've been given a teaser on how she performs in most fields, yet it seems entirely impossible to be certain of what she can do. Two sister's, both carrying the genes of the Hokage himself." He pushed his glasses up. "Needless to say, we have a barrier team up, ready to take any punishment in place of the perimeter. This fight is sure to get dangerous, but none of us shall be in harms way, rest assured." He gulped once more, clinching his fist. "The combatants are ready to fight. Without further delay, let the battle begin!"

-Not Quite Identical-

"Kage Bunshin No Jutsu!" Tsumi immediately utilized her shadow clones, spawning a few surrounding Yuuki. However, Yuuki countered them with a heavenly spin, forcing Tsumi to settle for spawning a couple dozen around herself.

"Kage Jinbutsu!" Yuuki summoned the persona Ayano forward, who stood ready to attack.

Ayano glanced back, cycling through Yuuki's last thoughts. "You are correct. That is the proper course of action for this fight." The black haired women activated her byakugan and summoned several shadow clones. Tsumi began firing off several ninjutsu of different natures as Ayano motioned to counter. "It's not going to be that easy with me, Tsumi!"

Tsumi watched as the group of persona clones began creating a defensive line using gentle fist and heavenly spins. She clinched her teeth, looking back to Yuuki as Yuuki jabbed her thumb onto her forearm. "Fuuinjutsu is such a pain." Once Yuuki made her move, the persona clones pushed forward, dwindling down Tsumi's clones. She forced herself back, analyzing the information. _Ayano's taijutsu is extremely effective!_ She grunted as her clones began to take the advantage with their ninjutsu. _Ayano slipped away. I've still got plenty of clones, meaning that was just a distraction._ Her eyes locked with Yuuki, who's hair had turned red, muscles were more defined, and held a wild aura about her.

Yuuki drew two swords, pushing forward and easily slashing through the remaining shadow clones as Tsumi gathered information. Now, only Yuuki and Tsumi remained. "Your shadow clones are weak. Quit messing around and fight, coward."

Tsumi put on a smirk. "So, you skipped right to fusing with Mari I see. Nice to know you're serious."

Yuuki put on a wide grin, resting one blade on her shoulder. "Call me Mariki. I hope you have more fight than that."

Tsumi let out a sweat. _She was deadly in her fight against Takeshi like this. From what I remember, I just have to beat out the wind chakra and get passed the swordsmanship._ _That, and she's not quite as smart like this._ Tsumi crossed her arms and touch a seal on either elbow. Short blades popped out as she grabbed them reversed and began to hop about.

Mariki laughed, finally lifting her two blades in a stance. "You're not being very practical."

Tsumi let out a grin. "Thought you wanted to fight."

Mariki pushed forward, matched with Tsumi's charge. Thanks to her short blades, Tsumi was able to parry and evade most of Mariki's standard attacks. However, Mariki seemed to have just been testing her. With a grin, she began to increase her attack speed. "Thanks, I was feeling stiff." Now all of the sudden, Mariki was bounding over strikes, pushing into full body attacks, and spinning into blind spots. She pulled back, pumping wind chakra into either blade. Tsumi jolted. _Now!_ As Mariki pushed forward to strike, Tsumi infused her blades with fire chakra. With a stern block, Mariki was blasted back with an explosive reaction. Tsumi took her chance to create dozens of shadow clones. However, Mariki didn't even get knocked to the ground and held an almost sadistic grin on her face. "Not bad, Tsumi." Her hands shook in rage, now flashing several different elements between her blades.

Tsumi gave the signal and her shadow clones began a combination of wind and fire attacks. She grunted, seeing a chakra dome made up of elemental slashes parrying away the attacks. "Mariki has the ability to use all Yuuki's natures..." Tsumi jolted, leaping back.

Mariki took a gap to channel a great amount of chakra into both blades. "Absolute Zero!" As she slammed them forcefully into the ground, the entire arena up to the barrier was immediately coated in ice. Tsumi glanced around, noticing all of her clones frozen solid, yet did not release. She finally landed, drawing upon her blades once more.

"Freezing my clones so I wouldn't get my chakra back, I see." Tsumi felt a cold sweat come over her.

Mariki pointed a blade. "You always did get careless with the amount of chakra you gave them. So, how much more did I dwindle you down to? Thirty percent? Twenty percent?"

Tsumi pulled back even more, knowing that she only had a few shots to make it count. She spun a blade around, channeled wind chakra into it, and launched it as hard as she could at Mariki. "Don't think you've got me defeated just yet!" She pumped lightning chakra into her other blade and let out a powerful slash. However, as Mariki blocked it and motioned to attack, she saw a rasengan packed with lightning chakra headed straight on center mass. Her body twisted around the blow and put a blade in between the attack, but the dense sparks that cracked out and managed to strike her. She winced in pain, but still managed to catch an incoming kick with her forearm from a clone that Tsumi made and impaled it with the blade in her other arm. Tsumi rolled forward after missing the rasengan and spun around to get a good look at her opponent. "You're kidding me...still fused with Mari?" She narrowed her eyes. _Her reactions and battle sense are impeccable to._

Mariki put on a more serious face, infusing one blade with her storm release and the other with the ice release. She squeezed her blades together, shooting a massive cloud of brilliant light above them. She turned her head back to Tsumi, grinning wildly. "You hear that? Sounds like we're getting some thunder-snow!"

Tsumi jolted, jumping to her left as a column of lightning struck the ground. However, she was pushed even further back when it splashed on impact in several directions before freezing solid. Tsumi let out a nervous laugh. "Boy, you sure aren't playing fair, huh?" Her eyes drifted above, wondering just how much Mariki could do. She stood now, eying Mariki. She still held her blades in the air.

Mariki grunted, swinging her blades down. "Let's see what you can do!"

Tsumi scrambled as bolt after bolt of this deadly jutsu ravaged the ground around her. She was forced into heavenly spins and occasional rasengans to bust through wave after wave. Finally, after several dozen bolts had been released, Mariki dipped down, out of energy. Tsumi checked herself over, noting that she had only taken minor damage. However, Tsumi's byakugan relaxed. She cursed under her breath. With confidence, she looked back to her opponent. "You must be out of gas, huh?" Tsumi pushed herself up, charging forward. _If I give her anytime to recover, who knows what else she can do._ Tsumi pulled out a kunai and lunged forward at Mariki. Mariki responded by thrusting herself back and putting her finger to her thigh.

"Bingo." Tsumi stood in shock, weapon still pointed forward. However, Ayano had appeared and struck her perfectly in the solar plexus. Tsumi felt her body crumble to a kneel. Ayano gripped her chin as Tsumi gasped for breath. "I'm surprised you're still conscious."

Mariki stood to her feet now, slow, but not fully fatigued. Tsumi pounded her fist to the ground as Mariki responded. "If you were still able to use the byakugan, you'd find that I still had some fuel in the tank." Ayano placed her hand on Mariki and infused herself in her.

Yuuki returned to her normal appearance, placing her finger on her arm. "Now, what other combination do you want to see?"

Tsumi plopped back down, looking at the frozen clones and letting out a long sigh. "Enough already, it's not like I assumed I would win." She lifted her hand with an annoyed face. "I give already. You mind unfreezing those clones now?" The two looked as the announcer continued to slip and fall on the smooth ice.

Yuuki nodded, placing her hand on the floor and melting away the ice. The clones instantly vanished, revitalizing Tsumi in an instant. The announcer finally managed to get to them, rubbing his back. "That's it! Tsumi is done fighting. It looks like Yuuki clearly still enjoys her persona abilities, but even Tsumi had an electrifying technique." The announcer pointed his finger at her. "That was clearly a lightning rasengan, but clearly it was not enough to defeat Yuuki today. However, Tsumi was ranked at number eight in this tournament! Doing some quick math, if Yuuki is stronger and Takeshi at number six was eleminated, that leaves five out of six fighters stronger than Tsumi. Wow!" The crowd went wild, chanting Yuuki's name as the two sisters made their way to the terrace.

OoOo

Shikamaru checked his stat card, tapping a pen. "I'm certain Yuuki is overall stronger than she is fused with Mari, but it was a brilliant move pitted against Tsumi."

Naruto crossed his arms, slightly annoyed. "That persona stuff is pretty cheap, isn't it?"

Sasuke twisted his head around in anger. "That's the last thing I want to hear from you!"

Konohamaru sighed as the two started to bicker. "In the end, it would appear as if my legacy is to just be a newbie trainer." He let his body lay on the desk in defeat.

Kiba looked around the box in confusion. "Hey, why can't you guys just enjoy the show?"

OoOo

Kobi gave Tsumi a massage as Yuuki sat down quietly. Lili blushed, looking away. "Good fight."

Yuuki smirked, prodding at her. "Aww, you're not jealous of my technique, are you?"

Datsu propped his head up with his hand, tapping his finger. "I kind of am..."

Kobi looked up. "That was a great fight! You were sure able to gauge Tsumi's weaknesses. That's not something just anybody can do."

Tsumi puffed out her cheeks a little. "You're supposed to compliment me, remember?"

Kobi jolted, laughing nervously. "Well obviously you were amazing! I mean, if your clones hadn't been immobilized, there's no way you could have lost!"

Datsu rolled his eyes. "Man, you are whipped, aren't you?"

Tsumi pointed a finger to Yuuki. "You've got to keep Datsu in check too, you know! Men tend to get carried away."

Yuuki eyed Datsu, who sweat nervously. Yuuki smirked, picking up a glass of water. "I might just have to try that."

OoOo

The announcer nodded intently, hearing what Shikamaru said. With a final nod, he waved his hand. "Nia has decided to forfeit! It is her claim that the fight would be too one-sided in Hitomi's favor." The crowd let out some boos here and there, but the man lifted a hand. "Now, Nia was our fourth strongest fighter, but it is their right to forfeit. That means Hitomi will be at full strength fighting against Yuuki! That will be some fight!" The crowd seemed to heed the consolation well and quieted down.

OoOo

Hitomi sighed, propping her head up. "You know, I was really looking forward to that fight, Nia."

Nia shook her head. "We both know I have shown most of what I can do. You'll win in almost every situation. It's a good idea for one of us to be well rested, just in case."

Isami laughed heartily at the comment. "You make it sound like I'll be getting myself worked up in one of these fights." He turned over, coning his hands around his mouth. "Oi, Inora! We're going all out in the next fight, you hear?"

The girl jolted, dipping her head.

OoOo

The announcer once again listened intently, pulling back like he was about to lose his job. He paused, dipping his head. "Folks, Inora, who was ranked at 13th overall, has decided to forfeit her fight against Isami as well." Boos became extremely overwhelming, causing him to tug on the collar of his shirt.

However, Shikamaru rose, taking the mic. "To make up for this, the semi-finals will occur after the quarter-finals have concluded. Rest assured, you will see these Isami and Hitomi fight!"

The crowd turned on a dime, cheering louder than before.

-Combatants Terrace-

Kobi sighed, setting his drink down. "Sheesh, why'd they have to go and do that?" He got up, stretching himself well. "Welp, guess we outta get down there and get the crowd their monies worth, right Datsu?"

Datsu looked away. "Actually, I'm giving up to..." The whole table looked at him, but clearly didn't buy it. The man crossed his arms, rising to his feet. "You could at least pretend like I might have been serious."

Tsumi shook her head. "Inora almost killed you back in the chunin exams, yet you still didn't give up. Why would we believe you would quit for even a millisecond?"

Datsu puffed out his chest, marching away. "Whatever, I don't even care! Go ahead and appreciate the fact that you killed the joke."

As the two departed, Tsumi scooted closer to Lili and Yuuki. "So, do you think Datsu has what it takes?"

Lili crossed her arms. "He's no push over, that's for sure."

Yuuki prodded at her. "Don't act like you were able to beat him now." Lili grew annoyed, turning her head away. Yuuki turned back to Tsumi. "Datsu is really strong now, but I'm not entirely sure since we were busy doing missions."

Tsumi turned to the battle field as the crowd began to cheer. "Well, I'm sure you're about to find out how good Kobi got to."

-In the Arena-

The judge allowed the chants to go on for a minute before lifting his mic. "I never thought I'd say this, but I'm sure glad we're getting a rematch between these two! Datsu is still amazingly tough and has upgraded his game, but not so fast! Kobi has shown almost impossible speeds and holds the record for fastest K.O. in the last round! This is going to be a great fight everyone!" He pushed his free arm open. "Fighters, Begin when you are ready!"

-Idiots No Longer-

Kobi judged Datsu carefully and cleared his throat. "Hey, don't go spending chakra recklessly now. I'm going to take this fight seriously."

Datsu smirked, summoning seven shadow clones. "You've gotten pretty fast, but my defenses and techniques have grown exponentially." Two clones braced themselves at his back as the other five each used an A-ranked ninjutsu of each element.

Kobi lifted his eyebrows as the techniques closed in, and with no escape available. "You're full of surprises, but so am I!" He lifted his hands in a pose, finally spinning strongly. "Heavenly spin!" Datsu pulled back in shock as Kobi thwarted all the jutsus at once and remained in place. A pause came over the area as gasp coated the arena. Kobi smirked. "I'll advise you once more, don't get careless."

Kobi drew a kunai, quickly drifting between the loose clones and ending them in a swift manner. Now down to Datsu and his two clones, the water-nin let out a sweat while drawing a kunai himself. "Don't get cocky, you just caught my clones off guard." Kobi pressed forward, but after several attempts, the defense held.

The man retreated, nodding his head. "You've got a hell of a reaction speed, I'll give you that." He put on a more serious face, drawing a short katana from inside his coat. "I won't allow this fight to drag, you can trust me on that."

Datsu's clones bumped off him and all three punched their fist down, causing a torrent of water to surround them. "You've changed, that's for sure. However, I have figured out Rekano's rapids fist technique. Better be careful about getting too close to me again."

Kobi put his hand up, summoning two shadow clones. "If that's the way it's gonna be, then I'll just even the odds." In a flash, Kobi and his clones quickly dashed between each other and immediately began assaulting Datsu from every angle. Dash after dash pressed him and his clones back, making him grit his teeth. First, the clone to his left was diced, leaving his side to take several attacks before he pressed his back against the other clone.

Datsu breathed out calmly, thinking over his options. _He's relentless. My reaction time is not enough to hold out, and eventually he's going to win. I could summon shadow clones, but he'd be able to knock most of them down quickly. On top of that, I can only summon a couple without my handseals._ Datsu grunted, channeling more chakra to his hand. In an instant, he ducked a horizontal slash that knocked out his other clone and landed a lucky hit on his opponent. "Suiton: Rasengan!"

Kobi was tossed back, fighting the massive torrent of water that pushed him all the way against the wall. Datsu was then able to knock down one of the clones, but as he turned to punish the next one, a massive ball of chakra struck his stomach. "Odama Rasengan!" The ball of chakra that was almost a foot in diameter and immediately seemed to release all the energy it had contained. Datsu was thrust over fifty meters and collided with the barrier, falling to the ground.

Datsu struggled, only managing to lift his chin. He could immediately tell several ribs had been broken and struggled to keep the internal damage to a minimal. In pain, Datsu pushed himself up to his knee as Kobi approached. "How...I nailed you with that water rasengan. I know it was you!"

Kobi got in a stance, prepared for the event that Datsu summoned a shadow clone. "You're right, you did _almost_ nail me. I'm not gonna tell you how yet."

Datsu cursed as Kobi stabbed his blade forward, stopping just at Datsu's forehead. "You don't have to give up now, I win." The crowd finally erupted in cheer as Kobi concealed his blade once more. Kobi whispered the secret in his ear, shocking Datsu.

The announcer stepped in. "Unbelievable! Datsu started with the advantage, but Kobi quickly turned the tide and landed a perfect blow that even Datsu couldn't withstand! Datsu was even rated 5th overall! I can't believe it, Kobi is going to the semi-finals!"

Everyone in the judges booth aside from Shikamaru and Sasuke slacked their jaws in shock. After a moment of recover, they quickly turned in, whispering amongst themselves. Kiba, however, just remained still, watching his son in disbelief.

As Kobi helped Datsu to his feet, the man sighed. "I've come this far, yet you somehow defeated me. I shouldn't have stood there." They began making their way to the terrace.

Kobi shook his head. "Don't get worked up over it. I'm pretty fast, it was a bad mismatch in that sense." He grinned. "Hey, that water rasengan really freaked me out for a minute. I was sure I was toast."

Datsu smirked. "Don't you mean soggy bread?" Kobi let out a laugh, making Datsu smile a little more. "Don't go losing to anyone now, you hear? I was carrying some hopes on my back."

Kobi laughed as Datsu managed to sit down in the chair. "Take it easy, killer. We're not here to try to end each other. We're here to show that we are capable of breaking through and keeping the peace. I think everyone has done a great job these past couple days."

Isami stepped in, healing Datsu. "Kobi, you've really learned a lot! I never expected anyone to be capable of using one of my fuuinjutsu techniques like that!"

Kobi rubbed his head. "Sorry about that. I've been really practicing for every situation."

Yuuki pounded the table. "How? You pulled off a heavenly spin!"

Kobi looked over at Tsumi before rubbing the back of his head. "Well...It's not like the heavenly spin requires the byakugan or anything. It's about the only technique I was able to pick up from that field, but trial and error fixes a lot of the problems."

Yuuki crossed her arms, looking over to Tsumi. With a sigh, she relaxed a little. "You two really didn't slack at all, huh?"

Isami gauged Kobi closely before returning his attention to Datsu. "Doesn't matter how tough you are, the rasengan can find a way to do damage to just about anyone, huh?"

Datsu grimaced, feeling his ribs fixed. "You're not kidding. That knocked the wind out of me immediately and there was no chance of stopping myself." Datsu lifted his hand and gave Kobi a thumbs up. "Nice Rasengan by the way! I'll remember that for next time."

-After a moment of time-

"Alright! The stage has been fully recovered and we're ready to start the semi-finals!" A powerful roar of applause and cheers accompanied the two women as the approached the stage. The announcer was shaking in excitement himself. "Yuuki has dominated her opponents with an amazing variation of skills. I doubt I've ever seen someone display every category in such an impressive was to this day! However, there's someone else who's been equally as dominant. Uchiha Hitomi! With the help of the sharingan and her ability to use shadow clones effectively, it's hard to say that any one could have an easy time fighting her. Both of these fighters have fought in a way that proves why they are among the four 'high jonin' in the world." The crowd cheered more as he pushed up his glasses. "Now remember, Yuuki hasn't had as much time to recovery from her amazing fight with Tsumi. Will that be a deciding factor this time? Let's find out now! Let the semi-finals, begin!"

-Outright Unthinkable-

Hitomi crossed her arms, staring at Yuuki. She stared back. Hitomi put on a cheeky smile. "Ever since I saw you beat Takeshi in the Chunin exams, I wanted to fight you. I can't believe how fast you've grown, but I guess that's how life goes."

Yuuki smirked, putting her hands on her hips. "Yeah. In the blink of an eye, I'm an adult. We all became powerful, gaining a status comparable to the three sanin in the past. It does seem outright unthinkable that we could get this far in such a small time frame."

Hitomi stretched, bending into a stance. "Well, let's get into it. What do you say we do a warm up first? No shadow clones or personae?"

Yuuki lifted her arms to the side. "If we're doing that, then no jutsu either. We both know we'll be able to counter each other, so let's not waste chakra." Hitomi nodded, prompting Yuuki to get in a stance. Within moments, the two collided with their best taijutsu they could manage. Yuuki was able to avoid and counter Hitomi's attacks, but she could tell that Hitomi had the edge in this category. _Her speed is better than mine as well. I already know she has the edge in kenjutsu, genjutsu, and tools._ Yuuki struggled to disengage, but Hitomi did not press the attack. _In fact, I'm certain the only areas that I'm better in is_ _my_ _will_ _to win_ _and ninjutsu._

Hitomi stretched further, not even winded. "I still can't believe how far you've come. Back then, you and Takeshi had to give it everything you got just to get lucky to land a hit on me. Now, I've improved immensely, yet still can't manage to get a hit on you." Yuuki smirked, getting ready. Hitomi lifted her hand to the side. "I might regret this, but since I didn't have to fight in the last match, I'll let you do whatever you want to prepare to actually fight me."

Yuuki shook her head. "I don't think that's a good idea. You know I'm going to use the persona technique."

Hitomi waved her off. "Don't sweat it. If we were to fight now, I would win. I've never gotten to see you use the persona technique in person, so just do it."

Yuuki shook her head, crossing her hands. "Kage san Jinbutsu!" Hitomi grew excited, seeing Mari, Ayano, and Hikari show up.

However, she noted that Rin was not present. Hitomi pointed. "Where's the other one?"

Ayano answered. "Rin is not needed in this case."

Mari planted a hand against Ayano's back. "Oi, let's hurry this up."

Hikari followed suit. "Yeah! This is going to be fun!"

Hitomi watched as the three began circulating chakra between each other. What was note worthy was how perfectly the three chakra signatures began to balance. Suddenly, a massive smoke blasted over the area, surprising Hitomi. However, what she saw after it really caught her off guard. A single persona remained, carrying a massive blade in one hand. The persona swiftly thrust the blade in the air. "Yuufu, Seigi No Mikata!" The smoke fully cleared, revealing a tall maiden with long, deep red hair flowing in the wind. She was armored in strong, glorious looking metal that covered her entire body up to her neck.

Hitomi, as well as everyone, paused to stare at it. Finally, the Uchiha held back a laugh. "Heroine, Champion of Justice? Did you have Isami name that one?"

The new persona put the sword to her side and stood in a powerful pose. "For your information, Isami is probably beside himself with excitement by now."

They all took a moment to look up to the terrace.

-Combatants Terrace-

Isami was pointing over the rail, grasping his head with his other hand. "She did it! She actually did it! Look how cool that looks!" He turned his head to the nearest person, who happened to be Datsu, and shook him. "Champion of Justice! That's an awesome name to! It's like, right out of a novel!"

Datsu recovered as he was released, looking back to the persona. He clinched his fist. _Isami's so right!_

Tsumi shook her head, seeing a few of the guys going crazy. She nudged Lili. "What's with guys and their super hero fascination anyways?"

Lili blushed looking away. "W-well, it's not like I think it's cool! Don't pool me in with those idiots!"

Tsumi lifted her hands, looking away. "I wasn't, chill." She rolled her eyes, looking back down. "Champion of Justice...such a lame name." She covered her head. "If she was fighting Isami, she would have won right there..."

-Arena-

Yuuki took her chance to summon Hikari once more and fused with her. Now, Yuuki held a pinkish hue to her hair, grew slightly shorter, and dawned light battle armor. Hitomi pulled back, seeing Yuuki waste no time. "You're fusing with that one I see." Hitomi gauged her opponents, finally putting on a confident smile. "So, you think that's going to be enough to win, huh?"

Yuuki pumped her fist in a playful manner. "You bet'cha! Yuufu is super ultra cool and powerful." She stopped, putting a fist on her hip and pointing. "Hey, I'm no pushover either! Call me Hikariki!"

Yuufu put her hand to the side. "Enough chatter." Yuufu put her hand to the side, dipping low with her sword pointed slightly forward. "Silly names aside, I'll warn you Hitomi; We're not going to lose now."

Hitomi pulled back, putting on a more serious face. "That's some confidence you have, anyways. Let's just see about that." Hitomi drew her blade and quickly closed in on Yuufu. She exchanged several swift attacks against the foe, noting the power and speed of her attacks. _Even with my kenjutsu skill, she is capable of reacting and attacking._ Hitomi pushed passed Yuufu to a blindspot, but pulled off when she noticed a swift retort. She dipped down. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" Hitomi summoned two clones, rolling away to avoid a powerful blast of wind.

Hikariki ticked, drawing a blade herself. "Come on, just stay still for a minute!"

Before she charged, Yuufu pulled in front of her, stopping her in her tracks. "Don't. That's what she wants us to do. Prepare the counter."

Hitomi grunted, getting back in a stance herself. "Alright, plan B it is. Don't let them get that attack off!" Hitomi and her clones advanced swiftly, each channeling a lightning chakra into their blade. They broke off in a pincer attack as Yuufu and Hikari began to make handseals.

Yuufu grunted, parrying off two of them as Hikariki handled the one from behind. "Keep it up, Hikariki!"

Hitomi herself pulled back from Yuufu, seeing the duo still making hand seals with their free hand. "Oh shit!"

Yuufu and Hikariki turned to each other, planting their free hands together and defending each others backs. In unison, they yelled. "Super Nova!"

An orb of fire encased them, causing Hitomi's clones to back up and begin counter jutsus. However, the orb of fire exploded out, instantly destroying the area and tossing Hitomi back into the barrier. A crater twenty meters in diameter was left behind as Hitomi shook herself off. The stone skin jutsu she used managed to mitigate some of the damage, but she was still staggered.

Hikariki panted, dropping to a knee. "Yuufu, this is all on you. I gave you the majority of the chakra." Yuuki's hair returned to normal and her armor faded.

Yuufu nodded in understanding. "Hide in my shadow with what chakra you have left. That way, even if I am defeated, you'll still be able to try something."

Yuuki nodded, making hand seals. "You're only going to have about five minutes to finish it. Allow her to defeat you if it gets ugly."

Yuuki melded into her persona's shadow as Hitomi entered the crater. The Uchiha fixed her hair, putting her sword away. "Not bad, Yuuki. I didn't expect you to gamble with your chakra pools like that, but surely you didn't expect that to do enough damage to me." Hitomi summoned three shadow clones and dipped down. The three clones spread out, surrounding Yuffu on all sides. "I still have a lot of gas in the tank. We'll just have to see how long Yuufu here can hold out."

Yuufu closed her eyes, gripping her blade hard. "You're lying, of course. I know that blast did damage to you, since that was stone skin, not steel."

Hitomi let out a sweat, preparing jutsus with her clones. Hitomi was able to use dozens of hand seals in the blink of an eye. _At this long distance, there's nowhere for her to go. "_ The gloves are off, Yuuki! Katon: Gyouryuuka!"

Yuufu calmly channeled ice into her blade. As the dragon-headed fire jutsus approached, she spun her body swiftly, creating a thick ring of ice that cracked under the weight of the jutsu, but remained solid. Yuufu stopped quickly dipping down.

Hitomi smirked, letting out a different jutsu. "Your ice against my fire...prepare yourself! Katon: Dai gyouryuuka!"

Yuufu let out a sweat as she dipped down. "All or nothing, let's hope this works, Yuuki!" With a twisting leap, Yuufu shouted out. "Hyouton: Rou no Jimo!"

Hitomi watched as Yuufu launched upwards while spinning rapidly. Hitomi's jutsu was aimed higher in the first place, but it was behind the trail. Even her clones missed as they attempted to halt the path. After each one had let out two powerful fire jutsus, Hitomi and her clones attempted to zero in and each launched a colliding jutsu precisely at the tip of the now ice tower filled with holes.

As if a direct hit, the tower of ice began to collapse. Hitomi's sharingan faded and her clones dispersed. She drew a blade, winded by the extraordinary amount of chakra she spent in that short time frame. As the rubble settled, she grew more confident. "I know you're still out there, Yuuki. Unless you have something else, I'd suggest you just stay down."

Suddenly, the ice kicked off. "I'll never be that easy, Hitomi." Yuufu stepped out, now wielding a shield made of solid ice and her sword in the other hand. Yuufu swiftly jumped out of the crater on flat ground and stared eye-level with Hitomi.

The Uchiha braced her sword with a smirk. "You've got a lot more stamina with that persona than I expected." The two were separated by around ten meters as they both prepared themselves. "You've really outdone yourself."

Yuufu remained steady, holding the shield forward and studying her opponent. "I won't try to hide anything; if I use anymore chakra, I will fade away and force Yuuki to come out of my shadow. We're both spent. This is going to come down to kenjutsu and taijutsu."

Hitomi smirked, slowly pacing forward. "You must also be aware that I'm just as good without my sharingan. It was never about landing a good hit with those ninjutsu...it was specifically to get you to this point."

Yuufu herself inched forward. "That's enough. Yuuki told you that you would regret giving her a free move."

Silence swept over as they now stood just two meters apart. Yuufu clenched her left hand tighter, getting a good grip on her shield. She let the massive blade hang out to the side, gaining a wider base. Hitomi flipped her katana around before widening her base and clinching the blade in both hands, pointed at Yuufu. Her left arm stretched to the back of the hilt, seemingly crossing her more forward right hand. Seeing this, Yuufu smirked, resting the massive blade at her back.

Hitomi let out a sweat finally stepping forward. Instead of a sweeping slash or piercing jab, Hitomi brought the sword low. As Yuufu already pivoted to the left to attack, her massive blade came diagonally down towards Hitomi's left side. Hitomi stabbed towards Yuufu's exposed hand, forced to pivot away. Yuufu took this chance to bash her backwards with the shield before pulling back. Blood dripped from Yuufu's sword arm as Hitomi shook herself back to a stance. Yuufu grew more serious, holding her blade high and keeping her shield forward. Hitomi now shifted her blade fully pointed backwards, puffing out her chest. She stood tall, resting part of the hilt on her forehead. Hitomi grunted once more. _That shield severely limits my options. Her blade gives her a massive reach advantage. At this point, I have to go all or nothing._

Yuufu made the first move, punching forward with the shield. She already motioned her sword arm down. However, Hitomi swiftly spun tightly left around the shield bash and swiftly brought her sword down. Hitomi's strike managed to sever Yuufu's arm, but also allowed her to take a massive gash along her left side. As Hitomi dipped left and swung horizontally with her right hand, Yuufu spun and knocked her arm back with her shield. Once her hand was away, Hitomi's eyes froze, seeing Yuuki on Yuufu's back. A blade was pointed under Hitomi's right armpit, threatening a critical blow.

Hitomi dropped her blade, looking down. "Damn...one mistake…" Yuufu dispersed, not changing Yuuki much due to the remaining chakra. Hitomi rested on her knee, holding her left side. "If you didn't have that shield, I would have won that."

Yuuki rubbed her nose as the crowd grew wild. "Yuufu is a heads up fighter. After studying your ability with the katana, she determined that only without the sharingan and using a shield would she be able to counter you."

Isami swiftly showed up, healing Hitomi as efficiently as possible. "Hitomi! Why'd you have to go and get reckless like that? That could have gone horribly wrong!"

His eyes were filled with worry and anger. Hitomi looked to the side in disappointment, but grew serious herself. "You know exactly why. In a do or die situation, I have to be able to make that choice. Were I to surrender in a scenario like that, being captured could lead to more than just my life."

Isami grunted, finishing up his healing jutsu. Finally, he let out a sigh and helped her up. He looked to Yuuki before looking back to her. "I could argue this one all day, but..." He shook his head once more. "Things like that...no one else is allowed to decide, I suppose."

Yuuki nodded, turning around. "You're learning, Isami." As she walked, she looked back to him with a wink. "That attack would have never been capable of killing her. Neither of us would actually let that happen."

Isami looked back to Hitomi, helping her move back to the combatants terrace. As he did, the crowd let out a standing ovation. The announcer finally stepped forward, very excited. "Simply amazing! Hitomi was ranked as the number two fighter in this tournament, but was convincingly eliminated by Yuuki! What a close fight! It came down to a battle of swords, and while Hitomi technically won, she did not fully account for Yuuki herself. Yuuki has advanced to the finals!"

-Judges Booth-

Naruto couldn't help but stand, applauding the performance with the crowd. "Wow, what an upset! I didn't expect that at all!"

The others were in shock as well. Shikamaru rubbed his chin. "Hitomi did give Yuuki the advantage to start, but to think that Yuuki was able to see through her strategy and counter so precisely..."

Sasuke ticked, looking away. "Hitomi got careless. Using all her chakra like that to gamble on a sword fight..."

Konohamaru smirked, letting out a whistle before adding in. "If Hitomi didn't do that, Yuuki's persona would have still had chakra. She likely recognized that Yuuki's personae have incredibly dangerous ninjutsu and felt it was the best bet. They both fought well."

Naruto finally took a seat. "I'd be perfect if it weren't for Datsu losing to Kobi. Is anyone still winning looking at a perfect bracket?"

Shikamaru glanced around, averting his eyes forward. "There's still one."

Sasuke grunted. "Not me. I had Hitomi winning this fight."

Naruto narrowed his eyes, looking between Kiba and Shikamaru. "You bastards aren't going to tell us, are you?"

Kiba shot back, waving him off. "Since when have I ever won a bracket? I'll probably be last again at this rate..."

-Combatants Terrace-

Yuuki plopped down, trying to unwind the best she could. As excited as her friends were to congratulate her, they also understood the fatigue both fighters would have. Datsu leaned in with a smirk on his face. "You still fight as crazy as ever." She put on a smile as she drank water. Datsu rubbed her back. "I'm going to have to kick my training into high gear soon."

Inora grimaced. "If we can find time for that kind of thing."

Lili nodded, crossing her arms. "You were right again, Yuuki. This wasn't another pointless tournament." She extended a finger with a stern face. "Don't you dare go embarrassing us by losing in the finals, you hear?"

Yuuki punched her fist together. "Don't go putting everything on me! We're going to have to redesign your training regime from scratch!"

Lili let out a sweat. "Wha- the nerve!" Lili crossed her arms once more and turned away.

Inora leaned around just enough with a slight grin on her face. "Oh? Then why are you so happy, huh?" Lili ticked in anger as Inora continued. "Is big sis happy that little sis wants to play with her again?"

In unison, Yuuki and Lili kicked both sides of her chair out and caused Inora to face plant against the table and then fall backwards. The two looked back to each other with a nod of approval. Datsu snickered, putting his thumb up. "Well executed, the timing was perfect!"

OoOo

"Jeez...those kids..." Hitomi crossed her arms behind her head and leaned back. She sat with Isami, Nia, and Kochi. "Guess I can stop worrying so much about them."

Kochi snickered at the statement. "That's a lot of smack talk coming from someone who just got beat by one of them." Kochi rubbed her chin. "Maybe you did get lucky against me."

Hitomi dropped forward, pointing her finger. "Don't even start with that. You know I knocked you into next week."

Nia placed her hand to her forehead with a sigh. "Come now, you gave her cuts, not lacerations."

Hitomi pulled her fist up. "It's an expression, damn it!"

Isami startled from his thinking position with an 'ah hah!' stance. "That would have been the best way to end it though, right?"

Hitomi let out a sweat. "Please don't..."

Isami coughed. "If you phrase it like a joke..."

Hitomi cut him off with annoyance. "Fine. Knock knock."

Isami's eyes grew excited, not expecting this development. "Let's see what you've got then. Who's th-"

Hitomi's fist drove into his face sternly and blasted him into the railway of the terrace. Eyes shot over their way as Hitomi calmly leaned back once more. "Next week."

An awkward silence swept over the group. Near the railing, Isami's thumb slowly rose up. "You'll...get them...next time...honey."

-Hell's Phoenix Territory: Bar-

A man grinned wildly as he scooped in a pile of coins. "Bad luck, fellas! Bad luck!" The men sank their heads in disappointment.

One of them piped up as they took their leave. "Damn lucky once again, Un'emon!"

The scarred man bellowed out a laugh as he stroked his mid-length black hair. The man wasn't particularly tall, but he was well toned.

Suddenly, The group of men around him startled as a woman's hand slammed down a few coins. "Try me." Her clothing covered most of her body and a japanese straw hat covered her whole face.

The men backed off, seeing several blades on her back and an intimidating aura surrounding her. Un'emon eyed her carefully, tossing in some coin himself. He lifted his hand to the empty chair across from him. "We don't often get your kind in here, samurai. Please, take a seat."

The woman smirked slightly, accepting his request. The man placed a pair of dice in a mug and began clattering them around. The typical game revolved around the dealer rolling the dice three times, with the goal of guessing as close to the sum value as possible. The woman casually tapped her fingers. "So, I hear you have a reputation for getting lucky." Her eyes glinted as he slammed the mug upside-down. "Seven."

Un'emon smiled, showing a missing tooth. "Ahh, a smart woman." The exposed dice revealed a two and a five. "Some would say I have a way of winning in dice." He bellowed out once more. "As far as, 'getting lucky', well..." Un'emon lifted a few more coins out of his pocket, looking to her. The woman nodded, doubling her bet. The man grinned. "I don't seem to score well with the women."

The woman didn't laugh, instead remaining silent as he slammed the mug on the table. "Seventeen."

The man winced. "Sixteen." The dice were revealed, showing a four and a six. The man chuckled as they both tossed in more coin. "You're too tense, samurai." Un'emon took a giant gulp of his drink before sliding her the mug. "You've got a peculiar talent for observation, and a touch of luck. Perhaps we can help each other."

The woman shook the mug vigorously as she smiled. "That's precisely why I've come." She slammed the cup on the table. "Twenty-two."

The man rubbed his stubble, nodding slowly. Finally, he responded. "Twenty-four." She lifted the mug, revealing a three and a four. The man cackled at his luck. "You understand the odds, but are quick to take the unlikely one. They call me lucky, but really I always choose the safest bet." As the man reached out to claim his prize, he continued. "Now, is it information you wish to sell? Or perhaps buy?"

The woman snatched his hand, startling him. She carefully observed his wrist before letting him go. There was an odd tattoo that confirmed his identity. "Looks like you are the real deal after all."

The man smirked, twisting his wrist. "Easy there, lady. It's a bit rude to get aggressive with a man you just met. Also, you'll get nothing from me until you show your face."

The woman smirked, lifting her hands to her hat. "Oh, where are my manners." As she took her hat off, long black hair waved out. She had a beautiful face, only scathed by an eye-patch on her right-eye. Her smile faded to a serious face.

The man trembled slightly. "N-Noriko!" He laughed nervously, placing his shaking hand on the edge of the table. "Is it safe to say...I'm not getting lucky tonight then?"

The woman smirked once more. "If you're going to run, you probably better do it now."

Un'emon laughed nervously. "Oh boooyyyys!" With a swift movement, Un'emon flipped the table as Noriko became surrounded with several drunken thugs.

Noriko rolled her eye. "Oh please. Quit being morons." Noriko easily dodged a wild punch, kicking the man harshly in the face. She jumped back, smiling when the other two looked back in shock. "Oops, maybe I was being too hard on him. Who's next?"

One of them moved forward, throwing out punches from a more stable base. Noriko continued to smirk, weaving in and out of them. "That's it, put your back into it." Now, the other thug joined in. He removed a chair leg and swung it violently at her. After moving in and out enough, finally, she slyly misdirected the make-shift weapon into the face of the other thug. The man stopped in place as the other thug fell to the ground in pain. She rubbed her head. "Now what'd you do that for?" The man charged forward once more. He swung diagonally down at her the first time, horizontally left the second time and finally ended with an overhead chop down at her. Noriko simply evaded the attacks and caught the final attack. "Look, this is just a worn out wooden leg...what was the plan here?"

The man pondered, seeing her point. Finally he came up with an idea. "A distraction-!" As the man let go to attempt a move, Noriko simply shoved the wooden leg forward, pushing against his face and knocking him down.

"It was fun, but I've got bigger fish to fry." As the man attempted to scramble up, Noriko stepped on his private parts. He whimpered in pain as she then stepped on and over his face. "Now, which way would you have gone?"

-back ally-

Un'emon panted as he made his way passed a food warehouse. "Damn it, I've been drinking too much lately." He turned his head behind him, slowly gaining a smirk. "Looks like the One for Luck has still got it!"

Noriko patiently rested her back against some food crates before casually sliding her foot out. Un'emon's stride was impeded as his face headed on course to the ground. He put his hands forward and sprung off the ground, facing the opposite direction. Before he could land, he felt a presence grip his left arm from behind, restrain it to his back, and once again flip him face-first into the ground. Still retraining his arm behind, she gripped harder. Un'emon squirmed around in pain. Noriko brushed her hair out of her face. "Struggling only makes it worse, Un'emon."

"Listen, I can explain all of- gah!"

Noriko wrenched his arm harder, cutting him off. "Did I hear you call yourself the One for Luck with a straight face? You've got some nerve. I should just kill you and be done with it."

"Wait!" Un'emon finally felt mercy on his arm as he caught his breath. "It's true; I've been helping rogue members with information on how to safely get in contact with Guden. It's nothing new for you guys though!"

Noriko dug her knee into his back. "See? Was that so hard to admit?"

Hearing her draw a blade, Un'emon's eyes shrank. "INFO!" Noriko paused, giving him a chance to respond. He desperately chuckled, turning enough to see her face. "I have information that any _Uzumaki_ would want to know."

Noriko placed her blade point first at the base of his spine. "And how would you know that?"

The man suppressed his panic, speaking clearly. "Perhaps you don't want to know about a woman named Karin and her would-be husband Sai."

Noriko felt her heart skip a beat as her teeth gritted in anger. "You better start talking."

"No." He looked to her seriously. "First, you let me up." Noriko grunted releasing the man and prepared in case he attempted to flee. He rubbed his hand before putting up his hands. "And next, you have to promise to let me go. I only did what I did for money and information."

Noriko grunted, sheathing her sword. "Don't make me regret it."

The man breathed a massive sigh of relief. "You'll find that is a very wise choice." Un'emon cleared his throat, clearly attempting to recall the information. "You were around when the One for Confinement left us, yes?"

Noriko nodded, crossing her arms. The man rubbed the back of his head. "Well, he's part of a very troubling scheme. You see, Karen has been vital to the rogue members." Un'emon put on a thinking pose. "Where do I even start?"

Noriko tapped her fingers. "From the start, obviously. You will tell me everything you know."

Un'emon sighed once more. "Well, I guess that's better than dead. Alright, listen carefully."

As Un'emon progressed through the information, Noriko's expression changed from stern to complete shock. The information Un'emon collected from the late One for Confinement was thorough, but Noriko didn't know just how much it would change things.

-Combatants Terrace-

Isami and Kobi stood at a regular distance, both holding a half smile. The announcer waved his hand. "Ladies and gentlemen, I apologize for the wait. This will be the final battle of the day. Wouldn't you believe it, Kobi has decided to fight against Isami! He's been explosive and completely dominated his opponents, Datsu being the most incredible upset. Isami, the Invincible, has had a couple exciting matches himself." The announcer gulped. "Truth be told, I've heard Isami may forfeit to a fighter who shows enough promise." The crowd instantly booed and hissed, making the man retreat in panic. "It's only a rumor! Anyways, this is sure to be an amazing fight, with the winner going to the finals of this historic tournament!" The announcer quickly vacated the area. "I can't stand the anticipation any longer, I have to know! Isami...Kobi...Let the battle begin!"

-End-

A/N

Not, lol. I purposely did not get to 9k words this chapter and tried to mix up the status quo a bit. This was supposed to feel like a train wreck, because the fighters at this level are pulling out all the stops while understanding that at times it would be pointless to fight in the battle. Even still, it is my hope that I had some great moments in these fights and in some of the shocking reveals. Noriko hasn't had dialogue in FOREVER! I hope you like how she operates. Points if you can guess my inspiration for the bar fight :)


End file.
